Description

Koshari is a hearty vegan meal made with lentil rice, pasta, chickpeas, vinegar tomato sauce, and topped with crispy thin fried onion rings.

Ingredients

Chickpeas

• 1 cup dried chickpeas
• 2 teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ lime

Fried Onions

• about 2 large onions
• 6 tablespoon flour to toss the onions in prior to frying
• oil for frying preferably sunflower
• salt to taste

Fresh Red Sauce

• 6 ounces green bell pepper
• 6 ounces onion
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon oil from the fried onions
• 1 lime
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 spicy pepper optional

Koshari Lentil Rice

• 1 cup dried brown lentils
• 2 cups dry Calrose rice or short-grain rice
• about 1½ large onions
• 4 tablespoon oil from the fried onions
• 4 cups water

Pasta

• 8 ounces elbow pasta
• 8 ounces dried spaghetti

Traditional Koshari Red Sauce

• 2¼ lbs tomatoes
• 2 tablespoon ghee
• 1 teaspoon chili flakes or cayenne powder optional
• 9 garlic cloves
• 3 tablespoon tomato paste
• 3 tablespoon white vinegar
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• ½ teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
• 1 teaspoon black pepper or to taste

Steps

1. Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F).
2. Boil the pasta in salted water until it's just undercooked. Drain and set aside.
3. For the meat sauce, sauté the onions in olive oil until they're translucent. Add the ground beef and cook until browned. Add the tomato sauce, thyme, salt, and pepper. Cook for a few minutes until the sauce thickens. Set aside.
4. For the béchamel sauce, melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the flour and whisk until it's a smooth paste. Slowly add the milk, whisking constantly. Add the salt and nutmeg. Cook until the sauce thickens. Set aside.
5. Assemble the macarona bechamel by layering the pasta, meat sauce, and béchamel sauce in a baking dish. Top with mozzarella.
6. Bake for 30 minutes or until the top is golden brown.
7. Let it cool for a few minutes before serving.