One pot Koshari wonder is an iconic Egyptian dish that combines vermicelli-laced rice, lentils, and pasta, all Cooked in one pan. Crowned with crispy shallots and drizzled with punchy sauces, Koshari is a scrumptious vegan crowd pleaser.

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Back in my early twenties in Cairo, I attended a Spanish class near “Koshari Al Tahrir,” a famous spot in downtown, set against the backdrop of the monumental Tahrir Square. Every layer of the dish was perfection—rice with toasted vermicelli, tender lentils, al dente pasta and tantalizing sauces. All crowned with crispy shallots, Koshari is truly miraculous culinary experience that deeply dented my memory.

Koshari Origins

Although it is a street food, Koshari is the epitome of a cosmopolitan era that once prevailed in Egypt. In many ways, this dish is fusion food at its best. It is widely believed that Egyptian Koshari was inspired by Kidchdi, the Indian lentil-rice dish that arrived to Egypt with Indians, who flocked to Egypt along with the British troops, when Egypt was a British colony.

Ostensibly, the Indian dish was set on evolving! Legend goes that the humble rice-lentil dish landed in the kitchen of some Italian expat who lived in Cairo, who artfully added macaroni pasta and vermicelli. To baptize the dish Egyptian, locals drizzled on the dish their signature garlic-vinegar sauce.

In his study, Culinary History of National Cuisine: Egypt and the Middle East, Dr. Sami Zubaida agrees that Koshari was likely inspired by the Indian dish Kitchari. However, he suggests that it reached Egypt through Indian pilgrims traveling via Suez,on their way to Mecca and Medina for pilgrimage, rather than being introduced by Indian soldiers during British occupation.

One Pot Koshari at a Glance

Cuisine: Egyptian Cuisine
Primary Cooking Method: Stove Top
Dietary Info: Vegan
Key Favor: Warm and deep notes of cumin and coriander. Tangy tomato sauce. Umami-like crispy fried onions.
Skill Level: Intermediate

Why One Pot Koshari is so Special

Quick: Active cooking of Koshari doesn’t exceed 1 hour.
Crowd Pleaser: Koshari fits many dietary preferences.
Make ahead recipe: You can easily make Koshari along with its sauces and freeze it.
Economic: Uses affordable vegan pantry ingredients.
Standalone dish: Koshari doesn’t require a dish to complement it.
Filling: Koshari provides a balanced and filling combination of proteins and carbs.

One Pot Koshari Ingredients

Garlic

Photo Credit: Canva . Shallots

Canola Oil

Salt & Pepper

Bamamati Rice

Tomato Paste

Passata (tomato Puree)

Macaroni Pasta

Vermicelli

Black Lentils

Cooked Chickpea

Coriander, a main spice in Koshari

Chili Flakes, main ingredient of Shatta

Distilled Vinegar, Daqqah Main Ingredient

Lime Juice

Onions/Shallots: Preferably use shallots, they fry and crisp up faster without absorbing too much oil. Yellow onions could be you the next best option, yet avoid red onions at all cost.
Garlic: Use any type of fresh garlic, not frozen. process no less than 30 garlic cloves in the food processor and keep them handy, ahead of cooking Koshari.
Oil: Use only any unflavored oil such as vegetable or preferably canola to fry the shallots. Use the filtered oil later to cook the rest of the dish.
Black lentil: In case you can’t find black lentils in the market, order it online.
Pasta: Use vermicelli, macaroni and/or angel pasta. the latter is optional.
Rice: Traditionally, Koshari is made with short grain, Egyptian rice, but feel free to use Basmati instead.
Chickpeas: To spare time, use store-bought chickpeas cans for decorating the dish.
Spices: Cumin, coriander, black pepper and chili flakes are the only spices we use throughout the dish.
Salt: Use salt with moderation so it doesn’t overpower the overall dish when assembled.

Possible Substitutions & Additions of One Pot Koshari

Use store-bought Sriracha Sauce or Tabasco instead of making Egyptian Shatta from scratch
Use Basmati rice instead of Egyptian rice.

How to make One Pot Koshari

To save energy, I recommend that you follow the steps order below:

Step 1: Prep the Koshari Ingredients

Thinly slice 1 kg of shallots and let them air dry over kitchen absorbent paper for 30 minutes before frying.
Peel 2 heads of garlic and mince them in the food processor, as you will use them in the three sauces.
Soak the lentils in hot water for one hour before cooking the Kushari, rinse it under tap water, and drain the water completely.
Rinse the Basmati rice under tap water until the water runs clear. Let the rice air-dry completely in a fine mesh sieve fitted over a bowl. See notes.
Keep ground cumin, ground coriander, chili flakes, salt, and pepper handy as you will use these four items repeatedly throughout the recipes.

Step 2: Fry the Shallots

Air dry sliced shallots over absorbent paper.

Fry shallots in warm to touch oil.

Avoid over frying the shallots.

Filter the frying oil using a strainer.

Thinly slice the shallots or yellow onions and let them rest on absorbent paper in one single layer to discard the excess moisture.
When the onion rings are totally dry, add them to the warm-to-touch unflavored oil in a medium or large frying skillet on low heat. The oil should not be hot or the shallots will burn and get bitter. Keep stirring the onion rings in the skillet. See notes.
Once the onion/shallot rings start to turn into a light amber color, remove them from the oil with a slotted spoon and lay them on one layer on absorbent paper.
Run the frying oil , which you used for frying the onions, through a fine mesh sieve fitted over a deep bowl, discard the burnt bites, and store the filtered oil in a sealed glass jar. Use it in cooking the koshari and the sauces.

Step 3: Make the Koshari sauces: (Daqqah, Salsa, and Shatta)

Koshari is served with three typical sauces: Daqqah (vinegar-garlic sauce), Salsa (tomato-garlic sauce), Shatta (chilli-garlic sauce). The first two are essentials but you can substitute the third one with Tabasco or Sriracha sauce to save time.

Make the Daqqah (vinegar-garlic sauce): Wipe clean the frying pan you used to fry the shallots/onions. Add to the pan three tablespoons of the onions/shallots infused oil (made earlier), and heat over medium heat. Once hot, add the garlic, stir until it becomes fragrant, add the cumin followed by the vinegar and then water, salt and pepper. Turn off the heat. Stir in the lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Taste and adjust the seasoning and transfer to a sauceboat or a serving deep bowl.
Make the Salsa (Tomato Sauce:) Use the same frying pan to make the Salsa. Add the onions-infused oil, over medium heat, once hot, add the garlic, once the garlic becomes fragrant, add the vinegar followed by the passata (or 4-5 tomatoes blended without any water). Stir in the tomato paste, and mix everything together. Season with salt, pepper, cumin, and coriander. Let it simmer for no longer than 2-3 minutes on low heat. Turn off the heat and set aside.
Make the Shatta (Chili-Garlic) Sauce: Wipe the frying pan clean, add in some onions-infused oil, over medium-low heat, once hot add the chili flakes, and keep stirring it in the hot oil. Open the window at this point, or you will cough at the top of your lungs. Add the minced garlic, stir until fragrant and then add a laddle of the tomato sauce we made previously.

Step 4: Make the One Pot Koshari

Fry vermicelli to a medium amber color.

Add the rice, stir and coat with the oil.

Add pasta after the rice.

Add the black lentil, the last thing.

Add hot water off the kettle.

When cooked, fluff Koshari with a fork.

Add 1/4 cup of shallot-infused oil to a large heavy bottom pan on medium heat. Once it sizzles, add the vermicelli, keep stirring the vermicelli until it has a deep amber color. Add the rinsed and dry rice over the vermicelli, and stir to thoroughly coat it with oil.
Add the pasta to the vermicelli and rice, and stir in the hot oil until it is evenly coated with oil.
Add the soaked, rinsed and drained lentils, and then add hot boiling water off the kettle. The water should barely cover the rice-pasta and lentil.
Season the koshari with salt, pepper, cumin, and coriander. Bring it to a vigorous boil over medium-high heat for 5 minutes, and then lower the heat, cover the pot and let it cook on low heat for no more than 4 minutes. Turn off the heat. Fluff the Koshari with a fork (and not a spoon) and leave it covered with a towel until you are ready to serve it hot.

Tips for Making the Best One Pot Koshari

To break down the work load, I recommend frying the shallots one day ahead of making Koshari.
To avoid onion tears, keep a lit candle next to your shallots slicing station.
Use a wide pan like a paella pan to cook Koshari as it helps cooking faster and yields a fluffier Koshari.
To avoid harmful splatter, let the rice air-dry completely. If rice still contains moisture, it can splatter when added to hot oil due to the rapid evaporation of water, which can cause burns.

One Pot Koshari: (كشرى الحلة الواحدة)

Koshari Origins

One Pot Koshari at a Glance

Why One Pot Koshari is so Special

One Pot Koshari Ingredients

Possible Substitutions & Additions of One Pot Koshari