Expat Travel Mom

Some dishes just find you at the right moment. I first had kushari back in 2010, when I was teaching in Al Ain, made for me by one of my Egyptian colleagues. I was obsessed instantly, and I still am. I've had it made for me a few times since, and somehow it gets better every single time.

A Dish With a Surprising History

Kushari is Egypt's national dish, but it's not actually Egyptian in origin, and that's part of what makes it so fascinating to me. Neither rice nor macaroni are native to Egypt at all. The dish traces back to the 19th century, during the era of British colonial rule, when Indian soldiers and workers brought khichdi, a simple rice-and-lentil comfort dish, along with them. The name "kushari" itself actually comes from the Hindi word "khichdi." Egyptians took that base and layered in pasta from Italian influence and their own spiced tomato sauce, and what started as cheap, filling food for the working class became something the entire country embraces today, across every social class. It's Egyptian street food history, cooking, and cultural blending all served up in one bowl.

Make It Your Own

Kushari is almost always vegetarian, often fully vegan, though it's becoming more common to add shawarma chicken on top or cook the rice in chicken broth instead of water. Genuinely, you can make this dish however it appeals to your family. The tomato-based sauce on top can be made mild or with real heat. I'll always choose the heat.

What You'll Need

3 large onions
1/2 cup oil, plus more if needed
1 cup lentils
6 cups water (or chicken or vegetable stock)
1 1/2 cups long grain rice or Egyptian rice, uncooked
1 1/2 cups elbow macaroni, uncooked
8 oz vermicelli, uncooked
1-2 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon cumin
Salt, to taste
1 bottle hot sauce
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 chicken broth cube

How to Make It

1. Chop the onions into small pieces, I like them finely sliced, almost caramelized-onion style. Reserve about a tablespoon for the sauce later. Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a pan over medium-high heat and fry the onions in batches until they turn a nice brown and slightly crunchy. Watch closely, this step moves fast. Drain on paper towels and set aside.

2. Bring the lentils to a boil in the 6 cups of water or stock, along with 1 quartered garlic clove and the cumin. Simmer about 25 minutes until cooked through, then drain, reserving the cooking liquid.

3. Fry the vermicelli in a pan with a little oil until browned.

4. Add the rice to a pot with the reserved lentil water, along with the fried vermicelli, and cook until the rice is tender.

5. In a separate pot, boil the macaroni in lightly salted water until tender, drain, then combine with the lentils, vermicelli, and rice. Top with the fried onions.

6. For the sauce, blend the hot sauce, tomatoes, remaining garlic, and chicken broth cube until smooth. Heat it on the stove until it thins out slightly.

7. To plate, start with the kushari mix in a bowl or on a platter, top with the fried onions, then add a little sauce over the top, you can always add more, so start light. Serves 6.

If you end up trying this dish I've come to love so much, I'd genuinely love to hear how it turns out for you.