Koshari كشرى

This was a request from a follower of the blog.

Kushari is carb-rich spicy comfort food from Egypt, made with layers of rice, pasta and legumes which are topped with a spicy garlic and tomato sauce and garnished with caramelized onions and (optionally) cooked chickpeas. As a vegetarian dish, it has not been popular in Libya, where meat is usually an essential part of every main meal. However, it is a great change for precisely that reason. Note: this is our own version of koshari, a modified recipe!




Ingredients
(serves 4-6)

Sauce:
3 tablespoon vegetable oil
3 cloves minced garlic
2 hot red chilli chopped
3-5 finely chopped ripe tomatoes
1 tablespoon pureed tomatoes
 juice of  1/2 lemon
5 tablespoon vinegar
teaspoon of salt


Koshari:

1 cup brown lentils, washed, cooked in boiling water
1 cups short grain rice, rinsed  and cooked

2 cups elbow pasta

3 tablespoons oil /ghee
3 medium onions thinly sliced 

Stir the chilies, garlic, and tomato paste in hot vegetable oil.

Boil the lentils in 3 cups or so of  water, bring to a boil until lentils are tender.

 

Cook the rice and combine the two.

 

 Cook the pasta and layer on top of the rice and lentils.

  

Caramelize the onions in oil, or preferably, in ghee. If there is any liquid remaining after the onions are done, pour it into the tomato sauce to add to the tang.

Spoon the garlicy tomato sauce over the pasta, and sprinkle the caramelized onions on top.

Serve hot with vinegar and hot sauce as condiments.