Africa

Koshari Recipe: Egypt's National Dish at Home

Name: Koshari Recipe: Egypt's National Dish at Home
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 1 h 10 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Egyptian
Ingredients: 1 cup (150g) Rice (long-grain is ideal); 100g Brown lentils; 150g Macaroni (elbow); 1 can (240g) Chickpeas (canned, cooked); 1 can (400g) Canned tomatoes (chopped); 4 cloves, minced Garlic; 2 tbsp Neutral oil; 1 tsp Ground cumin; 1/2 tsp Ground coriander; 1/2–1 tsp Chili powder; 1 tbsp White vinegar; 1 tsp Sugar; 1 tsp Salt; 100ml White vinegar; 4 cloves, grated Garlic; 1 tsp Dried red chili (powder); 1/2 tsp Ground cumin; 1 tbsp Lemon juice; 1/2 tsp Salt; 2 Onions (large); As needed (about 2 cm in the pan) Frying oil; A pinch Salt

Koshari, Egypt's national dish, made at home: lentils, rice, macaroni, and chickpeas layered under a spicy tomato sauce, a garlic-vinegar daqqa, and crisp fried onions. The Cairo street-food classic, explained step by step.

Published: October 25, 2026Total: 1 hr 10 minLevel: Beginner

Cooking flow

Cooking steps

STEP 11 / 6

Cook the lentils and rice

20 min

Step 1 of koshari: put the lentils and 400 ml water in a pot over medium heat, skim the foam, and boil on low for 5 minutes — Step 1: put the lentils and 400 ml water in a pot over medium heat, skim the foam once boiling, and boil on low for 5 minutes

Put the lentils and 400 ml water in a pot and bring to a boil over medium heat in 3–4 minutes.
Once boiling, skim off the foam and boil over low heat for 5 minutes. Stop when the lentils have swelled a little on the surface but are still firm in the center.
Add the rinsed rice. If the water is lower than about 5 mm above the rice, add 100 ml water.
Cover and cook over low heat for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat when the rice is plump and a lentil mashes easily between your fingers.

Turn off the heat and let it steam for 5 minutes, then fluff from the bottom with a fork. Season with 1/2 tsp salt once the grains of rice and lentils are evenly distributed and separate lightly without clumping.

Caution

Avoid this mistake: If you put the lentils and rice in together from the start, the rice finishes cooking while the lentils are still hard. Always boil the lentils for 5 minutes first, then add the rice. As a guide, the water for the rice is 1.2 times its amount (for 150 g of rice, 180 ml plus the liquid the lentils were boiled in).

STEP 22 / 6

Boil the macaroni

10 min

Bring water to a boil over high heat in a separate pot and boil the macaroni for 8–10 minutes over medium heat, as the package directs. Slightly softer than al dente is the authentic style. Drain it when it mashes through the center with no resistance when pressed lightly with a finger, and while it is still steaming, toss with 1 tsp oil to coat evenly. It is ready when a thin sheen appears on the surface and the pieces separate loosely without sticking.

STEP 33 / 6

Make the tomato sauce

15 min

Koshari tomato sauce simmering in a pot, a deep red — Once the cumin and coriander smell fragrant, add the canned tomatoes. Balance the flavor with vinegar and sugar

Put 2 tbsp oil in a pan and cook the garlic over low heat for 1 minute. Move on when the raw whiteness is gone and the fragrance rises, before it burns.
Add the ground cumin and coriander and cook over low heat for 30 seconds. They are ready when the powder has absorbed the oil, turned moist, and smells toasty.
Add the canned tomatoes and simmer over medium heat for 10 minutes. Reduce until small bubbles keep popping and dragging a wooden spoon across the bottom leaves a trail for a moment.
Add the chili powder, vinegar, sugar, and salt and adjust the seasoning.

Simmer another 3–5 minutes until thickened, and it is done. The tomato sauce plays two roles: it is the "mixing sauce" that ties everything together, and the "topping sauce" that people add as they eat. Make plenty so everyone can add as much as they like at the table. The cumin that also features in the tomato sauce of kebab (Turkey) is the base note of the flavors of the Middle East and North Africa.

STEP 44 / 6

Make the daqqa

5 min

Daqqa, the vinegar-garlic-chili sauce, in a small glass jar with red chilies and garlic beside it — Daqqa is the hidden star of koshari. The sharp scent of garlic and vinegar whets the appetite

Put 100 ml white vinegar in a small pot and warm over low heat for 1 minute. Just until light steam rises; do not boil hard.
Add the grated garlic, chili powder, and cumin.
Over low heat for another 2–3 minutes, bring to a gentle simmer with small bubbles at the edge. It is ready when the raw bite of the garlic is gone and the sharpness of the vinegar has softened a little.
Add the lemon juice and salt, then turn off the heat.

Transfer to a clean jar or bowl. Daqqa is koshari's flavor-changer. The Egyptian way is to start with only the tomato sauce and add the daqqa little by little partway through to enjoy the change in taste.

Tip

Storing daqqa: It keeps for 2 weeks in the refrigerator. The vinegar's preserving effect also holds the garlic flavor. It is good on pasta and pizza as well, so it is handy to make extra.

STEP 55 / 6

Make the fried onions

15 min

Golden fried onions crisping in a pan, thin onion slices cooked to golden brown — Slice the onions evenly. Uneven thickness leaves some parts burnt and others undercooked

Cut the onions into half-moons 2–3 mm thick. The more even the thickness, the less uneven the browning.
Heat oil 2 cm deep in a pan to 170°C over medium heat. Drop in one piece of onion; fine bubbles should appear right away.
Add the onions and fry over medium heat for 10–12 minutes. Separate them 2–3 times along the way and cook until all are a pale gold.
Lift them out a step before they turn golden brown and drain on paper towels. Residual heat deepens the color and leaves them crisp and light.

Sprinkle lightly with salt and they are done. Fried onions are an essential topping for mujaddara (Lebanon) too, but koshari uses far more of them.

Caution

The most important point for fried onions: Take the onions out when you think "it is still a bit early." The color keeps deepening from residual heat, so if they look perfect in the pan, they will be burnt once lifted out. Remove them at the pale gold stage.

Fried onions are koshari's most important topping. The crisp texture and caramelized sweetness add a dramatic accent to the layers of carbohydrate.

STEP 66 / 6

Assemble

5 min

Step 6 of koshari: layering order, lentil rice, macaroni, chickpeas, then tomato sauce and fried onions — Step 6: layer the lentil rice, macaroni, and chickpeas, then top with tomato sauce and fried onions

At a Cairo stall the layers go in this order. First, as the first layer, spread the lentil rice on the bottom of the bowl. Next, as the second layer, spread the macaroni over it. For the third layer, scatter the chickpeas, and to finish, spoon over plenty of tomato sauce and pile on the fried onions. Serve the daqqa on the side in a small dish.

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Ingredients

1 / 4

Main (the three carbohydrate layers)

Ingredient	Amount	Substitutes & notes
Rice (long-grain is ideal)	1 cup (150g)	Basmati is best. Short-grain rice also works but tends to turn sticky
Brown lentils	100g	Green lentils also work. Red lentils are unsuitable because they get too soft
Macaroni (elbow)	150g	Ditalini or ziti, other short tube pasta, also works
Chickpeas (canned, cooked)	1 can (240g)	If using dried, soak 80g overnight and boil for 40 minutes

2 / 4

Tomato sauce

Ingredient	Amount	Substitutes & notes
Canned tomatoes (chopped)	1 can (400g)	Whole canned tomatoes, crushed by hand, also work
Garlic	4 cloves, minced	—
Neutral oil	2 tbsp	—
Ground cumin	1 tsp	The spice that defines koshari's flavor
Ground coriander	1/2 tsp	—
Chili powder	1/2–1 tsp	Adjust to your heat preference
White vinegar	1 tbsp	A hidden touch that sharpens the tomato's acidity
Sugar	1 tsp	Rounds off the tomato's sourness
Salt	1 tsp	—

Contains wheat (macaroni). If you have a wheat allergy, substitute gluten-free pasta, or leave out the macaroni and make a two-layer version of lentil rice and chickpeas.

3 / 4

Daqqa (garlic-vinegar sauce)

Ingredient	Amount	Substitutes & notes
White vinegar	100ml	Plain distilled or grain vinegar is fine. Adding 2 tbsp lemon juice improves the flavor
Garlic	4 cloves, grated	Plenty of garlic is the authentic taste
Dried red chili (powder)	1 tsp	Ordinary chili flakes can substitute
Ground cumin	1/2 tsp	—
Lemon juice	1 tbsp	—
Salt	1/2 tsp	—

4 / 4

Fried onions

Ingredient	Amount	Substitutes & notes
Onions (large)	2	Slice thinly. Even thickness is the secret to crispness
Frying oil	As needed (about 2 cm in the pan)	—
Salt	A pinch	Sprinkle lightly after frying

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A Trio of Carbohydrates: The Taste of Cairo

Walk the back alleys of Cairo and the scent of spices drifts out on the steam. People holding silver aluminum containers stand and work their spoons fast. At the end of that line is a stall selling koshari (Koshary / كشري).

Koshari is Egypt's national dish. Rice, lentils, macaroni, and chickpeas (in Japanese) are layered and topped with a spicy tomato sauce, crisp fried onions, and "daqqa," a sauce of vinegar, garlic, and chili. It is a people's feast: carbohydrate piled on carbohydrate, a combination that would make a nutrition textbook frown, yet for Egyptians it is simply soul food. It is cheap, delicious, and filling, and it is also a fixture at celebrations.

This article explains how to build the flavor of a Cairo stall in a home kitchen. If you want another dish with the savory aroma of meat and bread from an Egyptian street stall, hawawshi, ground beef stuffed into flatbread and baked, is a good match (hawawshi, in Japanese). For other African dishes, try jollof rice (Nigeria) and doro wat (Ethiopia).

Koshari components laid out in small bowls from above: lentils, rice, macaroni, chickpeas, fried onions, and tomato sauce — The parts of koshari at a glance. A simple set of ingredients makes a surprisingly complex flavor

Background: A People's Feast from Cairo That Charms the World

From India to Cairo: the long voyage of a mixed rice dish

The roots of koshari go back to the 19th century. The name is thought to come from the Hindi "khichdi," an Indian home dish of rice and lentils cooked together. The idea of a mixed rice dish is believed to have reached the Nile valley along trade routes between India and Egypt in the British colonial period.

The usual account of how the dish took shape runs like this. First, the basic structure of rice cooked with lentils took hold. Next, Italian communities who settled in Egypt are said to have brought macaroni, which was added on top of the rice and lentils. Then, in the early 20th century, the tomato sauce, fried onions, and daqqa (garlic-vinegar sauce) were added, completing koshari as we know it today.

Koshari is thus a mixed-heritage dish born where Indian, Italian, and Egyptian food cultures cross. You could also say that the rice-and-spice tradition of biryani (India) crossed the Mediterranean and evolved in its own way on the African continent.

Cairo's koshari stall culture

Cairo has specialist koshari shops, called koshary restaurants. One of the best known is Koshary Abou Tarek, a koshari-only restaurant.

Takeaway koshari at a Cairo stall in a large aluminum container, heaped with fried onions — Street koshari in Cairo. It is plated in front of you right after you order. The amounts of tomato sauce and daqqa are up to you

Watching a koshari shop at work is a kind of performance. Ingredients are scooped from huge pots one after another and layered into the aluminum container in a flowing motion. Customers tell the server their preferences, such as more sauce or more daqqa.

Religion and koshari

One reason koshari is so widely accepted as the national dish is that it is entirely vegan. Egypt's Coptic Christians observe long fasting periods during the year when animal products are avoided, and koshari is an ideal meal for those days.

It is also a dish where Muslims need not worry about halal certification. That inclusiveness, which lets Egyptians of every faith eat it with ease, is what makes koshari a true national dish. Shakshuka (Israel) and tabbouleh (Lebanon) are also known as vegetarian-friendly Middle Eastern dishes, but few dishes exclude animal products as completely as koshari.

One bowl, many regional versions, and the layers worth keeping at home

Koshari cannot be pinned down as a single "rice, beans, and pasta" dish. UNESCO's 2025 inscription on the intangible cultural heritage list covers not a fixed recipe but the everyday practices of homes, specialist shops, street stalls, and the producers who supply the ingredients. In Cairo the version built on brown lentils and rice is the best known, while in Alexandria there are examples with yellow lentils and boiled egg, and in Suez a version combined with seafood has been described. Regional differences are not departures from an authentic original; they are answers that each place's table has built up over time.

In a home kitchen, keeping the order that lets you taste the layers in one bowl matters more than adding ingredients. Keep the rice and brown lentils intact, boil the macaroni separately, and let everyone adjust the tomato sauce, the vinegar-and-garlic daqqa, and the fried onions at the table. If you want to try the Alexandria-style yellow lentils or an egg, make the basic bowl first and compare with a small amount. Even with substitute ingredients, as long as you keep layers of different textures and room to mix in the acidity yourself, it will not be just tomato rice with beans.

Ingredients (serves 4)

The main koshari ingredients: lentils, rice, macaroni, chickpeas, and onions — Everything can be bought at an ordinary supermarket or grocer

Preparation

Lentils and rice cooking together in a pot, steam rising — Boil the lentils for 5 minutes first, then add the rice. This staggered timing is the key to the texture difference

Preparing the lentils

Rinse the brown lentils in a colander under running water and pick out any small stones or discolored ones. Brown lentils need no soaking, but soaking in water for about 30 minutes shortens the cooking time.

Tip

Telling lentils apart: There are three common kinds. Brown lentils are best for koshari, since they hold their shape and keep a pleasant texture. Green lentils can substitute for brown and finish a little firmer. Red lentils break down quickly, so they are unsuitable for koshari and better for soupy dishes such as dal bhat (Nepal).

Preparing the rice

Rinse the rice 2–3 times and drain. If you use basmati, soaking it for 30 minutes gives fluffy rice. If you use short-grain rice, mixing 1 tsp oil into the cooked rice brings it closer to a loose, separate-grain finish.

To eat, mix everything well with a spoon before taking a bite. As you break up the layers and mix, each texture and flavor melds in your mouth. This "joy of mixing" is part of koshari's charm.

Tips for a Better Result

Koshari in a deep bowl, with tomato sauce and fried onions spread over the whole — Be generous when plating. When it comes to fried onions, too many is just right

Choose brown lentils

Red lentils break down into a paste, so they are unsuitable. Brown lentils keep their shape while becoming moderately tender and give a pleasant pop. You can find them at Middle Eastern or South Asian grocers and in many supermarkets.

Cook the rice so the grains stay separate

Short-grain rice cooked the usual way turns sticky and does not feel like koshari. Rinse it 5 or more times, add 1 tsp oil before cooking, and fluff it with a fork as soon as it is done. If you can find basmati or jasmine rice, use it without hesitation. It is a dish, like nasi goreng (Indonesia) (in Japanese), where loose grains of rice are everything.

Give the tomato sauce some sourness

Egyptian tomato sauce is characteristically more sour than a typical pasta sauce. Adding 1 tbsp vinegar brings it closer to the authentic taste. A sauce that is merely sweet will not complete koshari.

Do not skimp on the fried onions

The biggest difference between koshari shops is in fact the amount and quality of the fried onions. Double what feels like too much is right. Treat 2 onions as the minimum for 4 servings.

Always serve the daqqa separately

The tomato sauce goes on in advance, but the daqqa should always come to the table in a separate container. Tastes for heat and sourness differ widely, so the Egyptian way is for each person to add as much as they like.

Variations

A night street stall in Cairo serving koshari, with Arabic signs and warm lighting — At Cairo stalls, size and heat level can be customized freely. Extra toppings are common too

Higher-protein version: egg topping

Koshari with a fried egg on top is seen at some stalls in Cairo. The soft yolk mixes with the tomato sauce for a mellower taste. It also adds protein, making it suitable for a meal after a workout. Pairing tomato sauce and egg is a staple of the Middle East and North Africa, as in shakshuka (Israel).

Gluten-free version: potato instead of macaroni

Use diced potato (1 cm cubes, parboiled) in place of the macaroni to make gluten-free koshari. The texture changes, but the fluffiness of the potato goes well with the tomato sauce.

Extra-hot version: add harissa

Adding 1 tbsp of harissa, the North African chili condiment, to the tomato sauce gives it the spiciness of North African dishes such as tagine (Morocco). Harissa is sold at specialty and Middle Eastern grocers and online.

Time-saver: use store-bought items

Using canned cooked lentils removes the boiling time. Store-bought crispy fried onions or fried shallots can stand in for homemade fried onions. A simple tomato sauce can be made from a basic jarred tomato sauce with cumin added.

Koshari Nutrition and Health

Complete plant protein

Combining lentils (rich in plant protein) and chickpeas (containing the essential amino acid lysine) with rice (rich in methionine) makes the amino acids complement one another. That is how you get good-quality protein without meat.

Lentils contain about 8 g of fiber per 100 g, and together with the chickpeas a single serving provides a good amount of fiber.

Nutrient	Per serving (estimate)
Energy	520 kcal
Protein	18 g
Fat	12 g
Carbohydrate	85 g
Fiber	10 g
Iron	5.2 mg

Info

Boosting iron absorption: The vitamin C in koshari's tomato sauce helps absorb the non-heme iron in the lentils. The sour daqqa (vinegar and lemon juice) has a similar effect. In other words, the sauce setup of koshari makes sense nutritionally too.

Koshari Stories

The "koshari rivalry": Cairo's famous shops

Koshari in a street-stall-style bowl, with the layered ingredients and sauce visible — At the famous shops, the amount of fried onions is different. The crisp texture is what decides the taste

Cairo has several well-known koshari shops, and fans argue endlessly about which is best. Koshary Abou Tarek is a koshari-only restaurant. Koshary El Tahrir is an old shop near Tahrir Square. Koshary Hind is a popular shop in the Heliopolis district.

Ramadan and koshari

Koshari is a staple of iftar, the meal after sunset during Ramadan. After a long fast, koshari supplies carbohydrate and plant protein efficiently, and is gentle on the body and filling.

Storage and Reuse

Storage

Method	Duration	Points
Refrigerator	3 days	Keep the lentil rice and the sauces in separate containers
Freezer	1 month	Macaroni does not freeze well. Freeze only the lentil rice and sauce
Fried onions	1 week at room temperature	A sealed container with a desiccant keeps them crisp

Leftover ideas

For koshari doria (a baked gratin), put leftover koshari in a heatproof dish, top with cheese, and bake at 200°C for 15 minutes. Tomato sauce and cheese go together very well. For koshari soup, add 500 ml water and 1 bouillon cube to leftover koshari and simmer. The lentils and rice absorb the liquid and give the soup a pleasant body. For a koshari omelet, simply mix leftover lentil rice with 3 eggs and cook in a pan.

Similar Dishes Around the World

Combinations of "beans + grain + toppings" like koshari exist all over the world.

Dish	Country/region	Makeup
Khichdi	India	Rice + mung beans. Koshari's ancestor. Finished with ghee (clarified butter)
Mujaddara	Lebanon	Rice + lentils + fried onions. The closest in makeup to koshari
Gallo pinto	Costa Rica	Rice + black beans. A national dish of Central America
Waakye	Ghana	Rice + cowpeas. Colored with red sorghum leaves
Feijoada	Brazil	A stew of black beans and pork. Eaten with rice

The similarity between koshari and mujaddara is worth noting. They share three elements, lentils, rice, and fried onions, which shows the continuity of food culture across the Middle East and North Africa.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. Is koshari good cold?

It is perfectly good at room temperature. At Cairo stalls it is generally made ahead and not always served piping hot. The tomato sauce, though, has more flavor when warm, so I recommend warming only the sauce in a microwave or pan before spooning it on.

Q2. How can I serve it to children?

Leave out the daqqa and use less chili in the tomato sauce, and even young children can eat it. It is rich in carbohydrate and plant protein, so it is also a good meal for growing children.

Q3. I can't find basmati rice. Can I use short-grain rice?

Yes. What matters is to rinse the rice more times to reduce stickiness, add 1 tsp oil before cooking, and fluff it with a fork right after it is done. It will not be completely loose, but next to the bold flavor of the tomato sauce and daqqa you will hardly notice.

Q4. Where can I buy brown lentils?

Look in the dried beans section of larger supermarkets, at Middle Eastern, Indian, or other Asian grocers, or online, usually sold in 500 g to 1 kg bags.

Q5. I don't have time to make fried onions.

Store-bought crispy fried onions or fried shallots, sold at many Asian grocers and supermarkets, can substitute. They are made for Southeast Asian cooking, but their crisp texture and sweetness are close to the fried onions of koshari. The same fried shallots are used in nasi lemak (Malaysia).

Koshari Glossary

Term	Reading	Meaning
كشري	Koshari	The dish name. Derived from the Hindi khichdi
دقة	Daqqa	The vinegar-garlic sauce
بصل مقلي	Basal maqli	Fried onions. Basal = onion, maqli = fried
شطة	Shatta	Chili paste. Sometimes used in daqqa

Summary

Koshari is a street food Egypt can be proud of, cheap, easy, and delicious in equal measure. Familiar ingredients, lentils, rice, macaroni, and chickpeas, are layered and finished with a spicy tomato sauce and crisp fried onions.

You can make it in a home kitchen with ingredients from an ordinary supermarket. Try it as your first African dish, or as an addition to your vegan repertoire.

Among other African dishes, thieboudienne (Senegal) (in Japanese), a West African national dish combining rice and fish, is a must-read. If you are curious about the flavors of Egypt's neighbors, hummus (Lebanon) and falafel (Lebanon) (in Japanese) are also recommended. Comparing it with a fermented bread such as injera (Ethiopia) is another good way to see the depth of African cuisine.

Sources

Roden, Claudia. The New Book of Middle Eastern Food. Alfred A. Knopf, 2000.
Sen, Colleen Taylor. Food Culture in the Near East, Middle East, and North Africa. Greenwood, 2014.
UNESCO. Koshary, daily life dish and practices associated with it. Inscribed 2025; accessed 2026.
Ehab, Mariam. The Layered History of Koshary, Egypt's Most Beloved Street Food. Smithsonian Magazine, 26 February 2026.