14 Reviews of Kusherie (Egyptian Rice and Lentils)

From: Epi-curious

On Oct 16, 2005

This is a good version of the Egyptian Kosheri dish, but I was surprised that it didn't include the traditional pasta. I know, it sounds insane to have rice, pasta, and lentils in one dish, but it's so much heartier and more delicious with the addition of the elbow maccaroni. It's also strange that the recipe calls for dried chilis rather than jalapeno or fresh chilis. And it's important to add fresh chopped parsley (flat leaf, not curly)to the dish for authentic taste. Egyptians use fresh herbs in everything. One break in tradition that we have started to do is add bits of cooked chicken to the dish. It's a great way to use some of that left over rotisserie chicken. I hope this is helpful to anyone interested in tweeking this dish.

From: Ms*Bindy

On Oct 10, 2005

This is tasty, healthy, and easy....what more can you ask? I must confess to a bit of a mishap on my part. After browning the lentils for 5 minutes, I had a very hot saucepan. When I added the boiling stock, there was quite a reaction...lentils popping and flying all over the place. I think I quickly boiled away a little too much of the stock, because as the rice and lentils cooked, I ended up with slighthly crunchy rice. I had not thought to add a little extra stock after the lentil popping experience I'm sure that if I had not let my pan get quite so hot, I would not have had this problem.

From: hippeastrum

On Jan 15, 2006

Pretty good. The sauce was good too but I had to add around 2 cups of extra water because my pan was really hot and everything just flash evaporated when I put it. I also thought it was weird to brown the lentils but then it really helps them keep their shape and prevents them from getting mushy. Maybe I will use this technique in other lentil recipes.. thanks!

From: mlok

On Dec 11, 2005

A very nice, tasty and healthy recipe. I am really pleased with how the lentils and rice turned out together, and I love the browned onions. I followed the recipe exactly except that my celery was not very leafy so I added some celery stalk. I will definitely make this again...I am editing my former review from here to say that this is even better the next day - the flavours in the sauce blend really well. Next time I will make the sauce in advance. Highly recommended! Thanks for the recipe.

From: damienducks

On Mar 22, 2008

I had this dish a lot when I was in Egypt, and I would give this recipe seven or eight stars if I could! It's very authentic tasting to me. As another reviewer noted, you often find macaroni in this dish as well as the rice and lentils, but I actually prefer it without the pasta--it's much lighter tasting to me. (OK, and I'm really not a fan of pasta!) Anyhow, I love lentils, and this recipe is a keeper. I did cut down a bit on the oil (used just 2 T. total), but I followed the recipe exactly for the rest. The sauce was flavorful and not overwhelming, and the directions for cooking the rice and lentils together resulted in perfect rice and lentils! I used a somewhat glutinous rice because I plan to make the leftovers into "meat" balls, but I think I'd have equal success with plain rice, too. Thanks for a fantastic simple healthy recipe!***Editing my review to add that I tried this again using half green lentils and half small red lentils, and I'd not recommend using the small red lentils--they just dissolved away (I think they cook slightly faster than the green or something). Still tasted fantastic, but wasn't as pretty as it had been!***

From: Mrs B

On Oct 15, 2005

Bunny Mom's review was particularly helpful as I watched out for spitting lentils and also the stock boiled quickly, I added extra. At first, frying the lentils first seemed an unusual way of doing things, but it did give them a slightly different flavour. Very good sauce and I loved the onions on top.

From: Kumquat the Cat's friend

On Oct 14, 2005

Serveral years ago I made a kusherie recipe that was not even close to how great this recipe tasted. The tomato sauce in particular was outstanding, but all three components of this recipe blended very well together. The yogurt I served this with also went well with the meal. I reduced the oil by more than 1/2 and used tomato juice in the sauce. I'd have to agree with bluemoon downunder's comment that a prep time of 10 minutes is low because of stove supervision time, yet the recipe overall takes the stated time to make. Thanks VERY much Kaarin, going into my keeper file

From: pattikay in L.A.

On Oct 12, 2006

This is a good one! I learned a lot from the More with Less Cookbook as a young wife and mother. This was an early introduction to different ethnic foods. I love the textures of the rice and lentils.

From: bluemoon downunder

On Oct 13, 2005

This recipe involves some fairly active (rather than passive) cooking time, but it was not difficult to make and the end result was so satisfying: highly nutritious and absolutely delicious! I used a red rather than a green capsicum, because I find red capsicum more flavoursome. This recipe has a wonderful blend of flavours and textures, and is also visually appealing. I served it with Rita L’s Cucumber Salad Cucumber Salad. A fabulous Middle Eastern meal. Thank you for another great recipe, Kaarin!

From: appleydapply

On Jan 12, 2009

I found this in my more-with-less cookbook when looking for ways to use up a huge sack of lentils. I was amazed at how flavorful this dish is, even though I left out the green pepper for personal preference. The lentil/rice mix didn't have much flavor, but it was wonderful topped with the spicy sauce and the almost-caramelized onions. A great, economical, vegan meal. (and we are meat-lovers in my family!)