BM #110 : Week 2, Day 1
Theme : Middle Eastern recipes

Koshari is the national dish of Egypt. It is a fusion of Indian, Italian and Middle East flavors. It has rice and lentils, originated from khichdi, and it has pasta and tomato sauce, from Italy.

The dish looks complex, but it’s extremely easy to make. It has rice, chickpeas, green lentils, pasta and tomato sauce. Each of these can be cooked ahead to make serving easier. Some recipes online serves the dish in layers where as others mix everything and then top with the tomato sauce. I have tried both ways and I prefer the everything together version.

You might end up having more tomato sauce than you need, but it can be refrigerated or frozen until you can use it again. Some people like to have more sauce, so I prefer to make a little extra than running low.

Read on for the recipe.

Serves 4-6 people

Ingredients:

• 1.5 cups cooked Chana /chickpeas
• 1 cup green/brown lentils (whole masoor dal)
• 1 cup basmati rice
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• Salt as needed
• 1 cup dried pasta

• 2 large onions, chopped
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt as needed

• 1 28oz can crushed tomatoes (or 8-9 of tomatoes puréed)
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon oil
• 1 teaspoon chili powder, or per taste
• 1 teaspoon cumin powder
• Salt as needed

Method:

1. Cook lentils separately until done. I pressure cooked it in Instant Pot for 4 minutes. Set aside.
2. Heat 2 teaspoon olive oil in a pan. Sauté washed rice for a minute. Add salt as needed and 1.5 cups of water. Bring it to a boil, Cover and cook until rice is done. Set aside.
3. Cook pasta according to package instructions. Run in cool water to prevent sticking and set aside.
4. In a pan, heat a teaspoon of oil. Sauté 1 chopped onion and minced garlic until it’s soft. Add a 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes ( or 8-9 tomatoes, purées) along with chili powder, cumin powder and salt. Simmer and cook for about 15-20 minutes, taste testing and adjusting the seasonings if needed. Set aside.
5. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a pan. Sauté 2 large chopped onions until it’s brown. Take off the heat.
6. Now to assemble, add the rice, lentils, cooked chickpeas and pasta in a big bowl. Taste and add salt if needed. In a bowl or plate, serve the rice mix topped with 2 tablespoons of tomato sauce and a little of caramelized onions.

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