Koshari
Rice, Lentils and Macaroni with Tomato Sauce and Crispy Onions
Koshari is rice, lentils and macaroni piled together, covered with a spiced tomato sauce and crisp fried onions. It is sold from shops and carts and is among the cheapest filling meals in Egypt.
A travel guide names koshary as a key Egyptian dish, and a May 2026 guide prices koshari at 25 to 80 Egyptian pounds.
One chef's recipe fries sliced onions until dark brown for the topping, simmers a tomato paste and baharat sauce for 15 to 20 minutes, cooks rice 15 minutes and mixes everything with onions caramelised in oil.
A second chef's recipe uses far less macaroni, 60 g against 200 g rice and 130 g lentils, with a chilli and passata sauce.
Ingredients
For the crispy onions
- Oil for deep-frying
- 2 onions, finely sliced
For the sauce
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 small onion, finely diced
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 250 g tomato paste
- 1 tsp baharat
- Salt and pepper
- Chilli flakes, optional
- 250 ml water
For the rice, lentils and macaroni
- Olive oil
- 200 g medium-grain rice
- Salt
- 200 g green lentils, rinsed
- 200 g small macaroni
- 2 large onions, finely sliced
- 80 ml oil, for the onions
- 1 tsp baharat
Method
- Fry the crispy onions Heat oil in a deep pan and deep-fry the sliced onions until dark brown, about 5 minutes. Lift out, drain on paper towels and cool completely.
- Make the sauce Soften the diced onion in the oil, add the garlic and fry until pale brown. Stir in the tomato paste, baharat, salt, pepper and chilli. Add the water and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes until reduced by half.
- Cook the rice Heat 2 tbsp of oil, fry the rice with salt for 2 minutes, add 500 ml of water, bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Cook the lentils and macaroni Simmer the lentils in 500 ml of water until tender, then drain. Boil the macaroni in salted water until al dente and drain. Caramelise the 2 large onions in the 80 ml of oil.
- Mix and serve Mix the hot macaroni, rice, lentils and caramelised onions. Sprinkle with the baharat, pour the tomato sauce over and top with the crispy onions.
Food safety
Deep-frying is a fire and scald risk: use a deep, heavy pan filled no more than a third, never leave it, keep a lid nearby and never use water on an oil fire. Cool onions fully before storing. Cool leftovers quickly and reheat until piping hot.
Dry the onions well before frying.