Koshary Iskandarani — Print Recipe

A seafood-focused variation of Egypt's beloved koshari from Alexandria, featuring rice and lentils topped with crispy fried shrimp, calamari, and a spiced tomato-seafood sauce.

Ingredients

1 cup Egyptian rice
1/2 cup brown lentils
250g shrimp, cleaned
200g calamari, sliced into rings
2 cups tomato sauce
1 large onion, sliced thin
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chili flakes
1 cup flour for dredging
Oil for frying
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1 Cook the brown lentils in boiling water for 20 minutes until just tender, then add the rice and cook together until both are fully done, about 18 more minutes.
2 Prepare the tomato sauce by sauteing garlic in olive oil, adding tomato sauce, cumin, chili flakes, and salt, simmering for 15 minutes until thickened.
3 Dredge the shrimp and calamari rings in seasoned flour, then deep-fry in batches in hot oil until golden and crispy, draining on paper towels.
4 Fry the thinly sliced onions in oil until deeply caramelized and crispy, which takes about 10 minutes of patient stirring.
5 Plate by mounding the rice and lentils, topping with the spiced tomato sauce, arranging the fried seafood on top, and finishing with crispy onions.

Did You Know?

Alexandria, Egypt's Mediterranean port city, adapted the inland koshari recipe to showcase its abundant seafood, creating a coastal twist that locals fiercely defend as superior.