Koshary with red lentil ragu
Arguably the national dish of Egypt, this is a street-food concoction of pasta, rice, chickpeas, caramelized onions, and lentils, all smothered in a spicy tomato sauce. Years ago, I had this dish in Cairo and went the next two days without having to eat. That said, this version is a bit lighter and channels my Italian restaurant days by saucing the pasta evenly, creating a ragù out of the lentils, and finishing with a good amount of the tangy dakka.
SERVES
Ingredients
Caramelized onions:
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 5 onions, sliced
- 1 teaspoon salt
Crispy chickpeas:
- One 26 oz can chickpeas, rinsed
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Lentil ragù:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 cup Harissa
- 1/2 cups passata
- 1 cup red lentils
- 3 cups vegetable stock
- 2 teaspoon salt
To serve:
- 1-1/2 lb ditali pasta
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 3 cups Egyptian rice
- 1 cup dakka
Directions
- To make the caramelized onions, heat a large frying pan over medium heat. Melt the butter and olive oil, then add the onions and season with salt. Cook on medium-low heat for one hour until the natural sugars have released and the onions have reduced considerably. This step can be done one to two days ahead of serving.
- To make the chickpeas, preheat the oven to 425F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Coat the chickpeas in the oil, chili powder, and salt. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes until crispy, shaking the pan occasionally throughout. Keep whole or crush or chop to use as a garnish.
- For the lentil ragu, heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-low heat. Add the harissa, passata, and lentils. Cook for one to two minutes, then add the stock and the salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook for 30 to 35 minutes until the lentils are tender and the liquid has mostly evaporated. This also can be done one to two days in advance.
- To serve, cook the pasta per the package instructions, undercooking it by one minute. Meanwhile, crisp up the caramelized onions in a separate pan with a bit of olive oil.
- Add the pasta to the large pot with the lentil ragu and add some of the pasta cooking water, just to cover. Reduce on high until the water evaporates and finishes cooking the pasta, and finish with the butter. To serve, place some of the cooked Egyptian rice on a large plate, add the pasta and ragu, and top with the onions, crispy chickpeas, and a generous dose of the dakka.
Excerpted from Eat, Habibi, Eat! Fresh Recipes for Modern Egyptian Cookingby Shahir MassoudCopyright © 2021Shahir Massoud. Photography by Kyla Zanardi. Published by Appetite by Random House®, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved.
