About a year ago, Emily was out and I didn’t have a dinner plan. I scrolled through my Pepperplate app on my iPad, looking for something worth cooking, when I found something I’d tagged from my bachelor days: koshari.

At its most basic level, it was Hamburger Helper, vegetarian edition: macaroni, chickpeas and lentils. It was obvious why it appealed to me from my single days, long before I’d envisioned starting Nation Plates.

In fact, it wasn’t until I was midway through making the koshari that I’d realized I might be making a national dish. Soon as I realized I was off the hook for Egypt after finishing the meal, I started taking photos.

This is a great snack food, ideal for any simple meal night. Well done, Egypt. Well done.

I appear to have sourced this recipe from this website. 🇪🇬

• 2 large chopped onions
• 4 cloves of minced garlic
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 3/4 cup uncooked long grain rice
• 1/4 tsp red pepper
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 can of tomato sauce
• 3/4 cup brown lentils
• 4 cups water
• 1 cup elbow macaroni
• 1/2 cup white vinegar
• 1 cup of boiled chickpeas.

1. 

   Don’t be scared, this is one easy 4-pot meal.

   In a large saucepan, put the lentils in water and bring it to a boil.
2. Simmer over medium heat for 25 minutes then drain.
3. Add new water to the lentils and then add the rice.
4. Continue to simmer for 20 minutes more or until rice gets tender.
5. Fill a separate saucepan with water, add a little bit of salt and bring to a boil.
6. Add the macaroni to the boiling water and cook until it gets tender, then drain.
7. In a skillet, put some of the vegetable oil and heat it up then add the garlic and simmer until its color starts fading.
8. Add the vinegar to garlic and bring it to boil.
9. After the vinegar boils with garlic, add the tomato sauce and some salt and pepper to taste, then add the cumin. Bring the mix to boil on high heat, then lower heat after it boils.
10. Put the rest of the oil, should be plenty, in another skillet and heat it up, then add the chopped onions and stir until it is brownish. Take it out of the oil and leave it aside.
11. Take a little bit of the oil used with the onions and out it on the macaroni and stir it until the macaroni gets the onions flavor.
12. Apparently, the traditional serving method is to layer it: A layer of rice and lentils, then macaroni, then sauce, then chickpeas, then onions on top.