Koshari
Egypt's national dish. Lentils, rice and macaroni under a sharp tomato sauce, with fried onions on top that everyone fights over.

- Serves
- 6
- Total time
- 60 min
- Cost per serving (United States)
- $6.09
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cup brown/green lentils
- 1 1/2 cup long grain white rice
- 8 oz elbow macaroni
- 15 oz canned chickpeas
- 3 yellow onions
- 28 oz canned crushed tomatoes
- 5 clove garlic
- 3 tbsp white distilled vinegar
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
Method
Slice two onions thinly. Fry in the oil over medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring often, until deep brown and crisp. Lift onto paper towels and salt them. Keep the oil.
Simmer the lentils in plenty of water for 20 minutes until tender but not collapsing. Drain.
Cook the rice as you normally would. Boil the macaroni until just done and drain.
Chop the remaining onion and soften it in two tablespoons of the onion oil. Add the crushed garlic and cumin, cook one minute, then add the tomatoes and vinegar.
Simmer the sauce 15 minutes until it thickens and tastes sharp rather than sweet.
Warm the drained chickpeas through in the sauce.
Layer rice, then lentils, then macaroni in bowls. Ladle sauce over, then pile on the fried onions.
Serve at once, while the onions are still crisp.
What this costs, country by country
Each figure is the ingredients for the full recipe at prices read in that country’s own shops, in its own currency. Nothing here is converted from dollars.
| Country | Whole recipe | Per serving | Priced from |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | $51.57 | $8.60 | 10 of 10 ingredients |
| Spain | 13,66 € | 2,28 € | 10 of 10 ingredients |
| United States | $36.53 | $6.09 | 9 of 10 ingredients |
| United Kingdom | £12.84 | £2.14 | 9 of 10 ingredients |
| New Zealand | $31.16 | $5.19 | 9 of 10 ingredients |
| Canada | $109.22 | $18.20 | 9 of 10 ingredients |
| Austria | € 36,89 | € 6,15 | 9 of 10 ingredients |
| Greece | 24,19 € | 4,03 € | 8 of 10 ingredients |
| Mexico | $724.46 | $120.74 | 8 of 10 ingredients |
| Egypt | ٣١٤٫٩٢ ج.م. | ٥٢٫٤٩ ج.م. | 7 of 10 ingredients |
| Germany | 16,03 €* | 2,67 € | 6 of 10 ingredients |
* We have read fewer than seven in ten of these ingredients in that country, so the total is a partial figure and the real one is higher.
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