Saturday, February 20, 2010

Koshary--Egyptian Rice and Lentils

I made this dish last night and it was surprisingly good. The original recipe came from Extending the Table...A World Community Cookbook put out by the Mennonite Central Committee to foster a connection with a wide variety of world cultures and bring the world together through cooking.  There are recipes in the book from all over the world from Ireland to Iraq, from Hungary to Haiti.  I love using this book during Lent as a way to connect with the simpler and often healthier ways of eating around the world.

The cookbook says that Koshary is sold in the streets of Egypt and is popular among Coptic Christians during Lent.

Here is the recipe as I made it last night.  The original calls for the lentils and rice mixture to be put on top of macaroni.

1 small can tomato paste
3 c. crushed tomatoes
3/4 C chopped celery with leaves
1 1/4 C lentils
3C boiling water
2T. olive oil

To taste:
garlic powder
salt
cumin
tomato salsa
chopped green onions


Heat oil in cast iron or other heavy frying pan.
Fry lentils in hot oil for 5 minutes.
Carefully add boiling water and stir.
Heat on medium for 10 minutes
Stir in celery, tomato paste, crushed tomatoes and spices.
Cook for 10 more minutes to blend flavors.
Serve over cooked brown rice.

4 comments:

Kindred Spirit said...

Thank you so much for this recipe! My children and I really enjoy Mediterranean and Middle Eastern food, and this one will be especially good for Lent. I can hardly wait to try it!

Staying in Balance said...

I'm glad you are going to try it! I was surprised at the sort of smoked, almost coffee-like flavor in the dish, as a result of frying the lentils ahead of time and also the brown rice.

Oh, I forgot to mention that I used red lentils in mine.

TACParent said...

Don't think I could get my family to try it, but I imagine it smelled heavenly!

Staying in Balance said...

It was really good. The tomatoes pretty much covered up any "weirdness", lol!

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