Koshari
This is a very savory and satisfying plant-based main dish. It is easy enough to make all the component parts, but there are several, so it takes some time to put together - plan for at least 3 hours. This is an Egyptian dish from The Complete Plant Based Cookbook by America's Test Kitchen.
Ingredients
- 1 cup elbow macaroni
- 1 tsp salt divided, plus more for cooking water
- 1 cup dried green or brown lentils picked over and rinsed
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1½ tsp coriander ground, divided
- 1½ tsp cumin ground, divided
- ¾ tsp cinnamon ground, divided
- ¼ tsp nutmeg ground, divided
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper divided
- 1 28 oz tomato sauce canned
- 1 15 oz chickpeas can
- 1 cup rice basmati, jasmine, long-grain
- 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
- 3 Tbsp parsley fresh, minced
Crispy Onions
- 2 lbs onions
- 2 tsp salt
- 1½ cups vegetable oil
Instructions
Crispy Onions
- Prepare the onions at least a day ahead of time.
- Halve the onions and slice crosswise into 1/4-inch strips. Toss with salt in a large bowl and microwave for 5 minutes.
- Rinse thoroughly with water and transfer to a towel-lined pan to dry. It's critical to have them dried well, but it takes a long time, so plan accordingly. I use a clean dish towel to get out as much water as possible before drying.
- Heat onions and oil in a Dutch oven over high heat, stirring frequently, until onions are golden brown, about 25-30 minutes.
- Drain onions in a colander over a bowl to save the oil for use in the Koshari. Transfer onions to a paper towel-lined baking sheet.
Koshari
- Start the rice rinse before doing anything else as this can take up to 90 minutes. Place rice in a medium bowl, cover with hot tap water by 2 inches and let sit for 15 minutes. Using your fingers, gently stir the rice to release the starch. Pour off the water. Repeat adding and pouring off hot water until the water runs almost clear. Drain rice in a fine-mesh strainer. This can take 4-5 cycles.
- Bring two quarts of salted water to a boil in a medium pan. Add macaroni and cook, stirring frequently, until al dente. Drain pasta, rinse with water to prevent sticking. Transfer to bowl and set aside.
- Meanwhile, bring lentils, 4 cups of water, and 1 teaspoon of salt to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to low and cook until lentils are just ender, 15 to 17 minutes. Drain and set aside.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of the reserved onion oil in a medium saucepan. Add 1 teaspoon minced garlic, ½ teaspoon coriander, ½ teaspoon cumin, ¼ teaspoon cinnamon, ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg, ⅛ teaspoon cayenne, and ½ teaspoon salt and heat until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in tomato sauce and chickpeas, bring to a simmer, and cook until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Turn off heat, cover, and keep warm.
- Heat 3 tablespoons of reserved onion oil in a Dutch oven. Add remaining garlic, 1 teaspoon coriander, 1 teaspoon cumin, ½ teaspoon cinnamon, ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg, ⅛ teaspoon cayenne and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add rice and cook, stirring occasionally, until grain edges turn translucent, about 3 minutes. Stir in 2 cups of water and ½ teaspoon salt and bring to a boil. Stir in lentils, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer gently until all liquid is absorbed, about 12 minutes.
- After rice is cooked, turn off the heat and add the macaroni on top of the rice mixture. Cover with a clean dish towel and then a lid. Let sit for 10 minutes.
- Return chickpea sauce to a simmer over medium heat. Stir in vinegar and season with salt and pepper to taste. Fluff rice, lentils, and macaroni with a fork, stir in parsley and half of the onions. Transfer to a serving platter, top with half of the sauce and remaining onions. Serve, passing the rest of the sauce separately.
Notes
This can easily be converted to gluten-free by using gluten-free macaroni.