Egyptian Recipes: Koushari (Lentils, Macaroni, Rice, and Chickpeas)

Koushari (Lentils, Macaroni, Rice, and Chickpeas)

Thousands of years ago, ancient Egyptians left evidence of their love for food.
They wall paintings and carvings have been discovered on tombs and temples, depicting large feasts and a variety of foods. Many of these ancient foods are still eaten in Egyptian households today. Peas, beans, cucumbers, dates, figs, and grapes were popular fruits and vegetables in ancient times. Wheat and barley, were used to make bread and beer.

Baca Juga

Fish and poultry were also popular.
Koushari is a vegetarian dish that combines lentils, chick peas, macaroni, and rice in a tomato sauce flavored with onions and garlic.
It is always accompanied by pita bread but i would say you could also use it as a side dish if your planning on serving meat, my suggestion would be lamb kofta or kebab.

Ingredients:

1 cup lentils

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup elbow macaroni

1 cup rice

1 can chickpeas (also called ceci) 15 oz approx.

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 cup canned tomato puree

¼ cup olive oil

2 onions

1 garlic clove, or to taste

Step 1:

Place the lentils in a sieve and rinse thoroughly. Place them in a large saucepan with 3 cups of water and 1 teaspoon salt.

Step 2:

Heat until the water begins to boil.
Lower the heat, and simmer for about 1 hour until lentils are soft and tender.
Drain and set the lentils aside so you can preppare the rest of your dish.

Step 3:

Fill the same saucepan with water (add salt if you wish to use this). Heat until the water begins to boil.
Add the macaroni and boil 12- 15 minutes, until macaroni is soft. Drain and set the macaroni aside.
Mix the macaroni with the lentils after the paste has cooled a little.
Step 4:

Heat the 2 Tablespoons of olive oil in the same saucepan as you prepared your lentils in.
Add your rice and cook for 2 or 3 minutes, make sure all your rice is coated with oil.
Step 5:

Add 2 cups of water and heat until the water boils. Cover the saucepan and simmer until the rice is cooked, this should take around 15 minutes.
As soon as the rice is cooked remove your pan from heat and leave to cool for about 5 minutes
Step 6:

Drain chickpeas and rinse.

Add chickpeas, lentils, and macaroni to cooked rice and mix together very gently with a fork.
Step 7:

Peel the onions and cut them in thin slices.
Heat ¼ cup olive oil in a frying pan and add your onions, stirring often with a spoon until the onions are golden brown.

Step 8:

Add garlic clove and cook 1- 2 more minutes.
Stir in tomato puree and heat until it has a soft boil ( light bubbly).

Step 9:

Pour the sauce over the lentil mixture and heat over very low heat for around 5 minutes, until everything is at a nice temperature before serving.