Cooking Koshary!
Adapted from the Sephardic Temple Or Chadash Sisterhood of Los Angeles, The Sephardic Heritage Cookbook (2016):
Koshary is a staple rice dish of Egypt that many Sephardic households also prepare. The cookbook’s recipe layers rice, pasta, lentils, crushed tomatoes, caramelized onions, squash, and a tangy sauce. In our rendition, we skipped the spicy tomato vinegar sauce and seasoned the squash more heavily. Each bite exploded with flavor and cumulatively proved exceptionally filling. The pasta and rice did not feel too heavy but, rather, served as a base for the stronger flavors of the cumin- and cinnamon-rich tomato sauce. While the cooking process involved many steps, the final product melded beautifully and reflected the reward of effort well spent.
Modifications/Tips
- The recipe calls for a disproportionate amount of squash; instead of 3 whole squash, we would recommend one and a half. This will reduce the cooking time and maintain a better overall ratio, we had to use more spices to compensate for the additional squash.
- We did not make the spicy sauce because we did not have the ingredients on hand.
- Makes more than 8 servings!
- Cook 2 cups of brown rice in Instant Pot
- Cook 2 cups of elbow macaroni
- Cook 1 cup of lentils and season with thyme
- In a separate bowl, combine vinegar, ½ teaspoon of cumin, ½ teaspoon of garlic powder and the cooked lentils
- In a saucepan, add canned tomatoes and season with sugar, cinnamon, salt, cumin, and red pepper. Once sauce is bubbling, add cubed squash and cook for 20 minutes or until soft.
- In a saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat and add sliced onions once oil is shimmery. Fry until the onions are caramelized.
