Koushari Egyptian Street Food

Koushari is an Egyptian street food brought which we started being sold on the streets of Cairo in the early 19th Century.

It has influences of Middle Eastern, Italian and Indian culinary element.

Ingrediants

Rice x 1.5 cups

Macaroni x 1.5 cups

Tomatoes x 5 fresh

Garlic x 5 cloves

White Vinegar x 1/2 cup

Onion x 1 small

Cumin x 1 tsp

Coriander x 1 tsp

Vegetable Oil x 1/2 cup (you may need a little extra)

Black Pepper x 1/4tsp

Optional

Tinned Chickpeas drained and heated

Brown Lentils x1/4 cup pre-cooked

Chilli powder or hot sauce

Method

Step 1

Wash and drain rice put to one side

Step 2

Boil Macaroni once cooked drain and run cold water over it to prevent it from going sticky

Step 3

Cut up you're tomatoes and blend them, place them in a frying pan and bring the blended tomatoes to a boil then reduce the heat and simmer until nearly all the water has evaporated leaving you with a salsa, put to one side.

Once cooked you can add chili powder or hot sauce to make it spicier.

Step 4

In a saucepan add the vegetable oil and bring to heat. In a separate jug add your stock cause to 1/2 jug boiling water.

Add your drained rice and stir making sure to coat all the rice with oil.

Keep stirring intermittently so the rice doesn’t stick or burn in the bottom.

Keep frying the rice until you have a loose consistency when you stir.

when you start frying the rice will feel clumpy work through that until it becomes loose.

Once your rice feels loose turn the heat down and add your boiled water with stock cube.

You want the water to be a cm above the rice.

Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a soft boil.

Make sure you keep the lid on your saucepan as the steam plays a massive part in the cooking process.

Keep checking the rice as you want all the water to be absorbed by the rice once this is done turn the heat off and let the rice finish cooking in the steam.

Step 5

Crush garlic add then add to 1/2 cup of white vinegar you can also add 1/4tsp black pepper.

Step 6

Add the macaroni to the rice and mix, if your adding brown lentils add to the rice mix.

Add a portion to a plate or bowl

Step 7

If you adding chickpeas sprinkle some on top of your rice pasta mix