Pomegranate Walnut Lentil Bowl — Pomegranate Walnut Lentil Bowl - Koshari Fesenjan
Egyptian koshari layers of brown lentils, rice, and macaroni topped with Iranian fesenjan walnut-pomegranate sauce ladled over charred king oyster mushroom, finished with crispy fried onions, parsley, and pomegranate seeds.
Categories
Nutrition per Serving
Ingredients
For 2 servings
Instructions
Prep
Trim king oyster mushrooms and slice lengthwise into thick steaks. Score each face in a crosshatch pattern with shallow cuts. Toast walnuts in a dry pan over medium heat 4-5 minutes until deep gold and fragrant. Pulse in a chopper to a coarse rubble. Dice 2 onions for the fesenjan and slice the other 2 onions into thin rings. Mince 5 garlic cloves for the fesenjan and 5 for the koshari sauce. Crumble saffron into 4 tbsp hot water. Dice the tomatoes. Pick parsley leaves.
Boil
Bring 600ml water to a boil in a medium pot. Add lentils and simmer uncovered 18-20 minutes until tender but holding shape. Drain. In a separate medium pot, cook rice in 240ml salted water covered over lowest heat 15-16 minutes. In a third pot, boil macaroni in salted water 8 minutes and drain.
Sear
Heat 4 tbsp olive oil in a large heavy skillet over medium-high 90 seconds. Lay mushroom steaks cut-side down in batches if needed and sear 4-5 minutes per side until both faces are deep mahogany and the flesh tenderizes. Lift to a plate.
Build 1
Reduce heat to medium. Add diced fesenjan onions to the same skillet and cook 5 minutes until soft and gold. Stir in fesenjan garlic, cinnamon, turmeric, sumac, 0.75 tsp salt, and pepper 60 seconds. Add walnut rubble and toast 90 seconds until the oil turns deep amber.
Simmer
Pour in pomegranate molasses, saffron with its water, and 400ml water. Reduce to low and simmer 8 minutes until the fesenjan sauce turns deep brown and clings to a spoon.
Fry
Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high 60 seconds. Add sliced onions and fry 7-8 minutes turning often, until deep mahogany and crisp. Drain on paper towels and salt lightly. In the same pan with 2 tbsp residual oil, add koshari garlic, tomatoes, tomato paste, cumin, red pepper flakes, and remaining 0.75 tsp salt over medium 90 seconds. Pour in 240ml water and vinegar and simmer 5 minutes until the sauce thickens.
Plate
Layer lentils, rice, and macaroni in 2 wide bowls. Lay seared mushroom steaks on top of each. Spoon koshari tomato-vinegar sauce across half of each bowl. Spoon fesenjan walnut-pomegranate sauce across the other half. Scatter crispy fried onions generously, pomegranate seeds, and parsley across the top. Drizzle remaining 2 tbsp olive oil for gloss.
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