CAIRO: Contrary to expectation, the diet koshari that was scheduled to be served by Abu Tarek s, the biggest koshari outlet in town, has been temporarily suspended for sundry reasons, revealed Tarek Yusif, the outlet s manager. After plans were entertained to serve dieters and diabetics the famous dish, made up exclusively of brown pasta, brown lentils and long grain rice, Abu Tarek s has decided to wait until the peak of the summer season. Tarek said: The price was the biggest deterrent against serving the dish immediately. Owing to the high price of the quality ingredients used in making diet koshari, it couldn t be served for less than LE 8. Tarek added: The majority of the clients and koshari makers don t really distinguish between regular and diet dishes and perceive both as just koshari. And in a market where prices are at stake, Abu Tarek feared the new type would be construed as one way of exclusively raising the value of the low price, consumer-friendly dish. He noted: Being the biggest outlet in town, we opted to keep a low profile, especially when it came to the realm of prices, so as to avoid accusations of being major players in regular koshari dishes prices which are currently at LE 2, LE 3, LE 5. When the diet koshari was initially announced, many TV satellite channels and dailies rushed to highlight it as the first of its kind. The dish was designed to appeal to those watching their weight, the antithesis of the regular carbohydrate-rich meal. Tarek explained: We first served it to some of our neighbors and close friends, many of who relished it and didn t mind the price. Having taken that step we served it for a few days at a low price with the aim of introducing it to people. However as it began to break into the outlet as one of the major items, the bulk of our clients weren t actually sympathetic with the idea, especially as the price on the menu was shockingly higher than the regular dishes. They said diet or otherwise both types are koshari and there was no need to toy with prices. Tarek described how the ingredients of the diet koshari are available at Abu Tarek s stores, but the meal itself can t be marketed at loss. Abu Tarek s is waiting for the peak of summer to start considering serving the diet meal again. Actually the very educated people, tourists and young girls could be the groups that would demand it. Let s wait and see. According to Tarek, an ordinary koshari dish is made up of six tablespoons of rice, four tablespoons of pasta and four tablespoons of brown lentils. It contains between 800 and 850 calories. The number of calories in the new dish is expected to go down by half, Tarek said. He has been informed by specialists that koshari is not a health hazard compared to sweets and other sugary products, provided it is made up of the right ingredients in the right amounts. In the new dish, it s the quality rather than quantity that is bound to change. Instead of Egyptian rice, long grain rice will be used which usually contains less starch. The amount of dieter-friendly lentils could also be increased. Brown pasta will replace the traditional type. Also, pure refined oil will be used in making the red sauce as well as in crisping the onion rings, two basic elements that are synonymous with koshari.
