A Cairo classic of comfort, and thrift

Koshari (also spelled koshary) is Egypt’s national street bowl: layered rice and lentils, small pasta, chickpeas, a fiery, garlicky tomato sauce, and a shower of crisp fried. Affordable, filling, and richly textured, it grew with nineteenth‑century Cairo’s urban appetite, drawing on Indian‑style rice‑and‑pulse dishes, and the Italian pasta that traders brought to the Mediterranean. Today, koshari shops run like clockwork: vats of components at the ready, attendants assembling bowls to a rapid rhythm, and bottles of vinegar‑garlic dakka and red shatta pepper sauce set on every table.

How vendors prepare, and serve it

Each component is cooked separately for ideal texture. Brown lentils simmer until just tender; rice steams fluffy with a little fried vermicelli; macaroni or ditalini boil al dente; chickpeas are warmed, and salted. The tomato sauce—spiked with garlic, vinegar, cumin and chilli—is made ahead, and kept hot. At service, the layers go in piping hot, the sauce ladled generously, and the bowl capped with a snow of onions. Diners adjust acidity, and heat with dakka and shatta to taste.

Flavour, and texture profile

Koshari is all about contrasts: soft rice, and pasta against nubbly lentils, and chickpeas; sweet caramelised onions against a bright, spicy sauce; tangy vinegar notes weaving through warmth from cumin, and chilli. It’s hearty yet energetic, a rare case where starch‑on‑starch sings.

Ingredient spotlights

Lentils

Brown or green lentils hold their shape. Avoid red lentils; they break down, and muddy the layers.

Onions

Fried onions define koshari. Slice thinly, dust lightly with flour, and fry in batches until mahogany‑brown, and crisp; drain well so they stay brittle.

Sauces

Make both: a spiced tomato sauce for body, and a garlicky dakka for zing. The red shatta provides optional heat that regulars often insist on.

Technique, and service tips

• Season each component properly so the final bowl isn’t bland.
• Drain pasta, and toss with a little oil to prevent sticking while you assemble.
• Layer hot components so the bowl arrives steaming.
• Let diners add dakka and shatta to taste.

Anecdote from the queue

At a downtown Cairo koshari shop, the clang of ladles is hypnotic. Rice, pasta, lentils—ladled in a flash—then a scarlet cascade of sauce, a spoon of chickpeas, and a blizzard of onions. A waiter drops vinegar, and chilli bottles on the table without asking; everyone reaches for one or the other before the first bite.