What is Koshari Spice Mix?
Koshari is Egypt's number-one street dish: rice, brown lentils, pasta and chickpeas under a spicy tomato sauce, crowned with crisp fried onions and served with da'a, the garlic and vinegar dressing with cumin, and red shatta chilli sauce. It became wholly Egyptian in the twentieth century and Egyptian restaurants have since carried it to Iraq, the Levant and the Gulf. The flavour that sets the great koshari houses apart comes not from the rice but from the spices: cumin, coriander, garlic and chilli in calibrated proportions that go into the sauce, the da'a and the shatta alike. Koshari Spice Mix is a dry blend that brings these together so that homes and restaurants get the same taste batch after batch.
Composition and the role of each ingredient
The blend is built on roughly equal parts of ground cumin and dried coriander, followed by dried garlic, black pepper and red chilli, with sweet paprika for colour and, in some versions, a touch of allspice and cinnamon for depth behind the acidity. Cumin is the soul of both the da'a and the sauce; coriander provides the warm aroma that fills a koshari shop; garlic strengthens the taste without moisture; chilli and black pepper build a gradual heat; paprika fixes the red colour without relying on tomato paste. Proportions are general and approximate; our actual formula is confidential.
| Variant | Character | Best use |
|---|---|---|
| Classic blend | Balanced cumin and coriander, garlic, moderate heat | Koshari sauce and vinegar da'a |
| Hot preparation | Double chilli and black pepper | Red koshari shatta and lovers of a sharp bite |
| Mild family style | Low heat, clearer coriander and paprika | Koshari for children, yellow-lentil koshari |
What makes a good blend
Look for a blend freshly ground from whole cumin and coriander, with the sharp smell of cumin first, then coriander, then the sting of chilli, with no dusty or burnt-smoke note. It must contain no salt as a filler, no starch, flour or bran, and no artificial dyes such as the Sudan colours banned under Codex, Egyptian and EU rules; its orange-red colour should come only from paprika and chilli. The grind should be uniform. Seasoning mixes follow the general spice requirements: moisture no higher than about 10% for ground blends, total ash around 8–10%, acid-insoluble ash up to 1.5–2% as a check for sand, freedom from insects and foreign matter under the ASTA and ESA specifications, and aflatoxin limits under Codex and the Egyptian Standards for spices and seasoning mixes. These are typical ranges.
How to use it
- Soften a chopped onion and four garlic cloves in oil, then add two tablespoons (about 15 g) of Koshari Spice Mix per kilogram of tomato juice and stir for thirty seconds until fragrant.
- Add one kilogram of tomato juice, a tablespoon of tomato paste, and salt and sugar according to acidity; simmer for 20–25 minutes until thickened.
- For the da'a: mix a cup of vinegar with half a cup of water, two crushed garlic cloves, a teaspoon of the blend and a pinch of salt.
- For the shatta: heat two tablespoons of oil with a tablespoon of ground chilli, half a teaspoon of the blend and a cup of the finished sauce, and boil for two minutes.
- Layer rice, lentils, pasta and chickpeas, pour over the sauce, scatter the fried onions and serve the da'a and shatta on the side.
Guide dosage: 12–15 g per kilogram of sauce. Other uses: sauce for pasta with lentils, spicy chickpea salad, a seasoning for chips and roast sweet potato, and the sauce for moussaka.
Storage and shelf life
Keep the blend tightly sealed in a cool, dry place away from cooking steam and sunlight, because ground cumin and paprika lose aroma and colour under heat and light. Typical shelf life is 12 months sealed and 3–4 months after opening. Finished sauce keeps 4 days in the fridge and freezes for two months.
The Sheikh Al-Attareen range
- Egyptian Koshari Spice Mix
We rely on cumin and coriander from farms in Upper Egypt and Fayoum, and chilli and paprika screened for artificial colourants in our Mansoura laboratory, with moisture and cleanliness checks on every batch before grinding and fresh packing. The blend is available at our branches in Egypt, Iraq and Syria and online, in household packs and larger packs for restaurants and koshari shops.
FAQ
Is one blend enough for the sauce, da'a and shatta?
Yes, it is designed for all three in different amounts: the largest dose in the sauce and a little in the da'a and shatta.
How much per kilogram of sauce?
12–15 g, roughly two tablespoons, added to the oil before the tomatoes so it blooms.
Why does my sauce taste weaker than the restaurants'?
Usually because the spices go in at the end. Bloom them in the oil with the onion and garlic first, and let the sauce thicken slowly.
Is the blend hot?
Medium, to suit everyone; raise the heat in the side shatta rather than in the sauce.