We’ve made Koshari a few times, but this one is defintely the easiest. Less fuss, but still the classic Egyptian mix of rice, lentils, and pasta with lots of flavour. You can serve it as a side, but we reckon it’s perfect on its own.
Wine Suggestion: with the warm spices in this dish we love pairing this with Gamay. Instead of heading to Beaujolais we went to the headwaters of the Loire and the Côte Roannaise, a marginal wine region benefiting from the extra warmth of climate change. Domaine des Pothiers l’Integrale we found on our last trip to France and it has a charming pure-fruited earthiness and freshness.
Easy Koshari – serves 6 to 8
- olive oil
- 1 large onion, very finely chopped
- 2 tbsp ground cumin
- 300g basmati rice
- 450ml cold water
- 400g tin chickpeas, drained
- 400g tin green lentils, drained
- 150g macaroni
FOR THE TOMATO SAUCE:
- olive oil
- 3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- ¼ tsp chilli flakes
- 500g passata
- 1 tsp caster sugar
FOR THE CUMIN OIL:
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 large clove of garlic, crushed
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp wine vinegar
FOR THE CRISPY FRIED ONIONS:
- olive oil
- 2 large onions, thinly sliced into rings
TO SERVE:
- a handful of flat leaf parsley, chopped
Make the tomato sauce first by putting a small saucepan over a medium heat, add a generous glug of olive oil and cook the garlic for a minute. Stir in the cumin and chilli flakes, then add the passata, sugar and season generously. Cook, uncovered, for about 30 minutes or until reduced by about a third.
Meanwhile, put a large saucepan over a medium-high heat and pour in enought olive oil to coat the base. When the oil is hot, add the onion and fry until well browned. Add the cumin and stir, then add the rice and plenty of seasoning. Add 100ml of the cold water and stir, then add the chickpeas, lentils and the rest of the water and stir again. Cover with a tight lid and cook over a medium heat for 30 minutes.
While the rice is cooking, you can cook your pasta in a pan of salted boiling water according to the timings on the pack. Drain, then rinse in cold water and drain again.
Mix the cumin oil ingredients together in a small bowl with plenty of seasoning, then set aside.
For the crispy onions, heat a glug of oil in a pan and fry the onions until golden brown and crisp, then drain on some kitchen paper.
When the rice is cooked, add the pasta and leave to sit on top of the rice, then cover again with the lid for a minute or two to gently reheat the pasta. Check the seasoning, then gently fold the pasta into the rice mixture. Transfer the rice and pasta to a platter, then pour over the tomato sauce and finish with the cumin oil, crispy onions and parsley.
(Original recipe from Persiana Easy by Sabrina Ghayour, Mitchell Beazley, 2025.)
Jono & Jules do food & wine 