One-pot koshari (Egyptian pasta, rice and lentils)

Name: One-pot koshari (Egyptian pasta, rice and lentils)
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 1 h 5 min
Yield: Serves 6-8
Ingredients: 250ml sunflower oil; 2 large onions, finely sliced; 1 tbsp cornflour; 100g vermicelli; 400g short-grain rice (ideally Egyptian rice), rinsed in a sieve; 300g green lentils, soaked in freshly boiled water for 1 hour; 100g macaroni; 1 small onion, coarsely grated; 1 tsp ground cumin; 1 tsp fine salt; ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper; 100g spaghetti; 400g tin chickpeas, drained; For the tomato sauce; Sunflower oil to fry; 1 tbsp finely chopped garlic; ½ tsp ground coriander; 500ml passata; 60ml distilled vinegar; ¼ tsp ground cumin; 1 tbsp chilli flakes (optional, for a third spicy sauce); For the daa’ah; 1 tbsp finely chopped garlic; 60ml distilled vinegar; Squeeze lemon juice; ½ tsp ground cumin

Portion size: Serves 6-8
Prep time 20 min. Cook time 45 min
Difficulty: easy

Dairy-free

Vegan

Soha Darwish

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“Koshari is Egypt’s national dish and simply the king of Egyptian street food,” says food writer Soha Darwish. “It’s an intriguing mix of long and short pastas, rice and lentils topped with a tangy garlicky sauce called daa’ah, tomato sauce and crispy fried onions. All these low-cost ingredients make a moreish vegan bowl of pure comfort that buzzes with flavours and textures. It can literally make your taste buds sing on a very low budget; no wonder it won the heart of the nation.”

“Despite Koshari’s simple recipe, however, cooking it in the traditional way can be a bit of a nuisance. Each ingredient is cooked separately in a different pot or pan, causing a havoc in your kitchen – who is up for that really? This method cooks the main ingredients altogether in one pot, cutting down significantly on the number of utensils used. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, my one-pot koshari!”

Try Soha’s recipe for molokhiya next, a soupy dish made with leafy greens and served with chicken.

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Ingredients

250ml sunflower oil
2 large onions, finely sliced
1 tbsp cornflour
100g vermicelli
400g short-grain rice (ideally Egyptian rice), rinsed in a sieve
300g green lentils, soaked in freshly boiled water for 1 hour
100g macaroni
1 small onion, coarsely grated
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp fine salt
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
100g spaghetti
400g tin chickpeas, drained

For the tomato sauce

Sunflower oil to fry
1 tbsp finely chopped garlic
½ tsp ground coriander
500ml passata
60ml distilled vinegar
¼ tsp ground cumin
1 tbsp chilli flakes (optional, for a third spicy sauce)

For the daa’ah

1 tbsp finely chopped garlic
60ml distilled vinegar
Squeeze lemon juice
½ tsp ground cumin

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Method

Begin by making the sauces. For the tomato sauce, add a drizzle of oil to a medium saucepan over a medium heat. Fry the garlic until fragrant, then stir in the ground coriander. Pour in the passata along with 125ml water (use this to rinse out the passata jar/tin), the vinegar and ground cumin. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper, then bring to a simmer. Turn the heat down to low and keep warm.
To make the daa’ah, add all the ingredients to a separate saucepan along with 120ml water and a pinch of salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, then set aside to cool.
Finally, if you’d like to have a third spicy sauce, pour a drizzle of oil into a third saucepan over a high heat. Add the chilli flakes, then add 2 ladles of the tomato sauce, stirring to combine. Set aside.
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To make the koshari, pour the sunflower oil into a large lidded saucepan over a high heat. Toss the sliced onions with the cornflour. Deep-fry the onions in the hot oil until they turn golden brown, then lift them out with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper.
Fill and boil a kettle. Pour off roughly half the oil used to cook the onions. Add all the koshari ingredients to the remaining oil (except the spaghetti and chickpeas). Pour in enough boiling water to come up 1cm higher than the ingredients, then add the spaghetti on top. Cover the pan with the lid and simmer for 20 minutes.
Give the koshari a mix, then divide among bowls. Top generously with the daa’ah and tomato sauces, plus the chilli sauce if you like. Garnish with the chickpeas and a sprinkle of fried onions. I say sprinkle, but in reality you want to load it with them – there are never enough!