In this video, Radha Ma re-creates a classic Egyptian rice dish – a pilaf – but this is a “Post Persian Pilaf”! A beautiful medley of Basmati rice, lentils, charred onions, dried cherries and fresh coriander.
Ingredients for Radha Ma’s Koshari
for the rice:
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2 c. basmati
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3 ½ cups water (please check your own brand/container to see the amount of water to rice ratio, as it varies!)
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1 fresh bay leaf, or 2-3 dried
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1 tsp. sea salt or pink salt
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1 tsp. cracked black pepper
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enough olive oil to coat the bottom of a medium sautée pan
for the lentils:
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1 c. dried brown lentils picked through to remove stones and washed
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4-5 cups water to boil
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1 heaping TBSP. paprika
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2 tsp. cinnamon, ground
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2 tsp. sea salt
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enough olive oil to create a pool atop the simmering water (about 1/3 cup)
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2 large garlic cloves
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2 juicy limes
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few ladle fulls of lentil water to whet the dish at the end
(You will use about 1 — 1 /2 c. cooked lentils, removed with a small sieve from the broth- save the rest for lentil soup!) for the orzo
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1 ½ c. orzo pasta (or a similar shape,like cicoria)
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1 palmful of pink salt or sea salt for the boiling water
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about 8 cups water to cook the pasta in
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olive oil and sea salt or pink salt to drizzle over cooked and drained pasta
For the onions
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3 medium-large onions
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a little olive oil to cover bottom of pan
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a cast iron skillet
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pinch of sea salt or pink salt
To finish the dish:
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250g dried cherries
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1 large bushy bunch of cilantro
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1 container of full fat, plain yogurt
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a chile-flavored olive oil (or you can use orange or lemon oil)
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red chili flake to garnish
