Everyone loves a delicious dish of Koshary. It is a much-loved meal around the world. But do you know the secret to unlocking a truly amazing Koshary dish? This blog post will provide you with the tips and techniques to make the perfect Koshari, every time.
What is koshary?
Koshary (koshari or kushari) is the national dish of Egypt, It is turning heads with its unique combination of flavors and textures. This hearty dish is made from a mix of lentils, rice, pasta, and chickpeas topped with a spicy tomato sauce and fried onions for a slightly crispy finish. But what makes this recipe stand out is the secret blend of spices that give it an extra punch of flavor, as well as that it is completely Gluten-free recipe!
In this post, we’ll break down the ingredients and techniques that will help you unlock the secret to making a delicious Koshary. We’ll look at the importance of using quality ingredients and the impact of the right mix of spices. Finally, we’ll provide you with a simple-to-follow Koshary recipe, so you can make this traditional dish at home.
Koshary Ingredients:
Here is what you need to make koshary recipe:
- Egyptian rice: to make an authentic Egyptian koshary, you need to use Egyptian rice, a form of short-grain white rice, however, you can make koshary with white basmati rice.
- Brown lentils: to have a true koshary experience you need to use brown lentils , i have seen many recipes use green lentils but traditionally koshary is prepared with brown lentils. I have used many brands of brown lentils and found Earth Goods brown lentil is the best as it does hold well when cooked with the rice and stay as whole brown lentils, but feel free to use any brands you prefer.
- Buollion powder
- Gluten-free Pasta
- Gluten-free Vermicelli noodles
- Tomato paste
- Red pepper paste : Its optional but highly recommended.
- Passata
- Garlic
- Onion
- Olive oil
- Chickpeas
- Lemon juice
- Vinegar
- Spices & dry herbs: dry coriander, cumin, clove, thyme, bay leaves, & chili powder.
- Salt & pepper.
The perfect Rice-to-Lentil ratio:
The key to a successful koshary is having the right rice-to-lentil ratio and cooking technique of the rice & lentils. Koshary rice should neither be chewy nor mushy! The rice should be fluffy and the lentils should remain as whole not mushed, in order to achieve this you need to have the following:
- The right rice-to-lentils ratio: I have found that the perfect ratio is for each 1 kg of rice, you need to add 0.25 kg of brown lentils. Once cooked you will have the best lentil rice, in which neither the rice nor the lentil are dominating each other , and it is just the perfect ratio to aim for.
- The type of white rice you use is key here. For this recipe I am using Egyptian white rice, to prep the rice you only need to wash and drain it, no need to soak the rice prior to cooking it.
- Prepping brown lentils: all you need is to wash them, drain them and then soak them in boiling water for an hour, drain and mix with the drained rice.
- It is also important to master the amount of water used to cook the rice and lentils, the water level should be slightly above the rice, so that you can still see the rice. If the water level is too high it will result in over cooked , soggy rice and if the water is under then it will be undercooked.
In this recipe I am cooking the rice and lentils together and not each separately, therefore it is very important to follow these techniques, in order to have the perfect lentil rice, cooked to perfection and you will have the best koshary rice every time!
Gluten free koshary:
Pasta is the only ingredient in koshary that contains gluten, therefore replacing wheat pasta with gluten-free pasta is the key to this gluten-free koshary recipe. Traditionally koshary is made using 3 types of pasta: vermicelli, spaghetti, and elbow pasta.
For this recipe, I am using gluten-free vermicelli, plus 3 types of pasta instead of 2, because why not? I don’t think anyone minds extra pasta!
For cooking the pasta , some recipes cook the pasta along with the rice , however for gluten-free pasta I do not recommend cooking it along with the rice, except for the vermicelli this will be cooked along with the rice & lentils , just the same as when you cook wheat vermicelli , as you will see in the detailed recipe below. For spaghetti, elbow pasta and ditalini pasta , all are gluten free , I have cooked them separately as per package instructions till they are al dente.
The perfectly fried onion topping
You simply cannot have koshary without the crispy fried onion on top, it just complements the dish and makes it into real koshary.
To have a perfectly crispy fried onion, you need two ingredients: onions & oil, as simple as this. Some recipes add starch or flour to crisp the onion, but with this technique below you will have crispy onion without adding any flour/starch.
- Slice the onion into thin slices either using a sharp knife or preferably a Mandoline slicer.
- Using your fingers separate the onion slices apart .
- Heat your oil, make sure the oil is very hot (not burning though) before you add the onions.
- Add the onions and using a skimmer spoon mix, and try to separate the onion so it won’t sticks together . Do not overload the pan and add all the onions at the same time so it will fry properly and crisp
- Continue to fry till golden brown, it will take max 10 minutes.
- Remove the onion and let it drain excess oil on a kitchen paper towel. This is a very important step, therefore do not skip it, this will ensure the onion crisp perfectly.
The secret to making an amazing koshary sauce:
Koshary is served with 3 types of sauces: Tomato sauce, “shatta” or spicy tomato sauce and Doqah which is the lemony/cumin sauce.
The secret to a perfect koshary tomato sauce is the spice mix. I won’t claim this is a traditional Koshary tomato sauce, but it’s the way I prepare the sauce.
The ingredients for making tomato sauce are any type of tomato puree/strained tomato or Passata you prefer to use, minced garlic, tomato paste, red sweet pepper paste (optional but highly recommended), and white vinegar. Spices & herbs: cumin, coriander, clove, bay leave, thyme, salt and pepper. Once you added all the ingredients , you need to leave it to bubble and cook so all the flavors marry and you will have the perfect sauce to serve along side your koshary.
The next sauce is the Daqah (“da’ah”) which is basically made of minced garlic lemon juice, white vinegar, cumin, and coriander. This sauce is a cold sauce, all you need is to mix all the ingredients well and lastly add water to thin it.
The last sauce is the spicy tomato sauce (shatta sauce), you will need a scoop or 2 of the first tomato sauce you have prepared, and to that you need to add chili powder, olive oil, and a couple of tablespoons from the Daqah sauce. It is basically a spicy mix of the 2 first sauces.
How to cook chickpeas to perfection:
To save time you can open a can of chickpeas and you are set to go, but I prefer to use dry chickpeas, which you need to soak overnight, and in the morning drain and rinse under cold water.
Transfer it to a pan with water and boil, skim the foam that forms on the top and continue to boil till you remove all the foam. Add bay leave and cover the pan let it simmer till it cooks. it will take 35 -40 minutes to cook.
Storing:
Koshari is a great recipe for meal prep, it last for about 3-4 days in the fridge. Store each element (lentil rice, chickpeas, pasta, crispy onion, and sauces) in an air-tight container in the fridge.
By following the steps in this post, you now have all of the knowledge you need to create an amazing gluten-free koshari recipe that will tantalize your taste buds. Koshari is a perfect combination of carbs, proteins, and vegetables, providing a delicious plant-based and healthful meal anyone can enjoy.
With these tips, you can unlock the secret to making a delicious and nutritious Vegan & Gluten-free koshari meal. So go ahead and give it a try! You may discover a new favorite dish. share your own Koshari creations with us! We would love to hear how you make the perfect Koshari dish every time.
Recommended Vegan recipes to try:
- Mujadara recipe
- Vermicelli rice.
- Lentil salad.
- lentil soup.
Gluten-free Koshary Recipe
Koshary, a traditional Egyptian dish, this hearty plant-based dish is made from a mix of lentils, rice, GF pasta, and chickpeas topped with a spicy tomato sauce and fried onions for a slightly crispy finish. It is the perfect combination of carbs, protein, and vegetables, making it the perfect Vegan meal that everyone will enjoy.
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Total Time 1 hour hr 45 minutes mins
Course Main Course
Cuisine Arabic cuisine, Middle East cuisine
Servings 10 servings
Ingredients
Chickpeas ingredients:
- 2 cups chickpeas soaked overnight
- 2 bay leaves
- water enough for boiling the chickpeas
- salt & pepper to taste
- 1 tsp cumin powder
Lentil rice ingredients:
- ½ kg Egyptian rice rinsed & drained
- 125 grams brown lentils soaked in boiling water for 1 hour
- 125 grams vermicelli noodles gluten-free
- ½ cup olive oil
- 3 cups water
- 2 tsp cumin powder
- 2 tsp bouillon powder
- 2 tsp salt
- 230 grams spaghetti gluten-free
- 125 grams elbow posta gluten-free
- 100 grams ditalini pasta gluten-free
Fried onion ingredients:
- 4 red onions big size
- 2 cups frying oil
Tomato sauce ingredients:
- 680 grams passata
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- ¼ cup sweet red pepper paste
- 1 tbsp garlic minced
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 1 tbsp white vinegar
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 bay leave
- ¼ tsp clove powder
- ¼ tsp chili powder
Daqah "da'a" ingredients:
- 2 large lemons juiced
- ½ cup white vinegar
- 1 tbsp garlic minced
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 1 cup water
Spicy tomato sauce "shatta" ingredients:
- 2 cups of the tomato sauce
- ¾ cup olive oil
- 3 tsp chili powder
- ¼ cup from the Daqa sauce.
Instructions
Instructions for cooking chickpeas:
Drain the soaked chickpeas and rinse under cold water.
Transfer to a pan and add enough water to soak them for boiling.
Let them boil and skim the white foam once it's formed. Add bay leave and lower the heat, cover the pan, and let it simmer till it's cooked, will take about 35 minutes to cook.
Once it's cooked, turn the heat off and add salt, pepper, and cumin powder, mix and set it aside to cool.
Instructions for making lentil rice:
While the chickpeas are cooking, start with the lentil rice.
Mix washed and drained rice with the soaked and drained brown lentils in a bowl and set aside.
Add olive oil to a hot pan, add vermicelli, and mix. keep stirring the vermicelli in the hot oil till it is golden brown. Gluten-free vermicelli will turn white first before it turns golden brown, it will take around 9 minutes to brown so be patient and keep stirring.
Add the lentil rice to the golden brown vermicelli and stir, it is important to keep stirring for 4-5 minutes before you add the water. Add water, and the seasoning and stir. let it boil, turn the heat to low, cover the pan, and let it simmer on low heat. It will take around 30-35 minutes till the lentil rice is cooked.
Cook the pastas according to the package instructions. Once cooked transfer to a pan and add olive oil and stir them . Make sure not to over cook the gluten free pasta so it wont stick , adding olive oil and the end will keep it fluff and it wont stick while the rest of ingredients are cooking.
Instructions for cooking the fried onion:
While the rice is cooking start with the onions. Using a Mandoline slicer or sharp knife, slice the onions into very thin slices. Using your fingers separate the onion slices so they won't stick while frying.
Heat the frying oil in a pan and add the onion slices, using a skimmer keep mixing the onion slices so it wont stick. fry into batches, it will take 10-12 minutes to have a perfectly golden brown onion. Transfer to a kitchen paper towel to drain excess oil.
Instructions for making the tomato sauce:
Heat oil in a pan and add the minced garlic , fry for few seconds and add coriander powder, mix and add white vinegar. let it fry for 2 minutes then add tomato paste and sweet red pepper paste and mix.
Add Passata and mix everything together, add salt and pepper and all the spices. let it boil for couple of minutes then put heat on low , cover the pan and let it simmer for 20 minutes.
Instructions for making Daqa sauce:
In a medium size bowl , mix the lemon juice, vinegar, minced garlic, salt, cumin and coriander powder. Add water and mix to combine. set aside.
Instructions for making spicy tomato sauce:
Take 2 cups of the cooked tomato sauce and add to a medium size bowl. Add olive oil and chili powder and mix to combine. take ¼cup of the prepared Daqa sauce and mix it all together till all combined. set aside.
Now that all koshary elements are cooked and its ready to assemble koshary dish. Start with the lentil rice, top with the pastas, then tomato sauce and fried onion, layer the cooked chickpeas, and drizzle the spicy and daqa sauce when serving. Enjoy.
Keyword gluten free koshari, koshary
