How to make Koshari

Ingredients

• 200 g brown lentils, rinsed
• 200 g rice, rinsed
• 50 g vermicelli, broken into short pieces
• 200 g small macaroni
• 1 tin (400 g) chickpeas, drained
• 3 large onions, thinly sliced
• Vegetable oil for frying
• For the tomato sauce: 2 tablespoons oil, 4 cloves garlic crushed, 400 g passata or chopped tomatoes, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, a pinch of chilli flakes, 2 tablespoons white vinegar and salt
• For the garlic vinegar (da'a): 4 cloves garlic crushed, 4 tablespoons white vinegar, 4 tablespoons water, ½ teaspoon ground cumin and a pinch of salt

Method

1. Simmer the lentils in plenty of water for 20 to 25 minutes, until tender but still whole, then drain.
2. Fry the onions in about 1 cm of oil over a medium heat, stirring often, for 20 to 25 minutes, until deep brown and crisp. Lift them onto kitchen paper and keep 2 tablespoons of the oil.
3. In a pan, fry the vermicelli in the onion oil until golden, stir in the rice, add 400 ml water and a little salt, cover and cook on a low heat for 15 minutes. Gently mix in the lentils.
4. Boil the macaroni in salted water until just tender and drain.
5. For the sauce, fry the garlic in the oil for a minute, add the tomatoes, cumin, chilli and salt and simmer for 15 minutes, then stir in the vinegar. Mix the garlic vinegar ingredients in a small jug.
6. Pile the rice and lentils on each plate, then the macaroni, the chickpeas, a ladle of tomato sauce and a handful of crispy onions. Everyone adds garlic vinegar and extra chilli at the table.