Koshari

Cook the lentils

Bring lentils and 4 cups of water to a boil in a medium pot or saucepan over high heat

Reduce the heat to low and cook until lentils are just tender (15-17 minutes)

Drain from water and season with a little salt

(Note: when the lentils are ready, they should not be fully cooked

They should be only par-cooked and still have a bite to them as they need to finish cooking with the rice)

Now, for the rice

Drain the rice from its soaking water

Combine the par-cooked lentils and the rice in the saucepan over medium-high heat with 1 tbsp cooking oil, salt, pepper, and coriander

Cook for 3 minutes, stirring regularly

Add warm water to cover the rice and lentil mixture by about 1 1/2 inches (you’ll probably use about 3 cups of water here)

Bring to a boil; the water should reduce a bit

Now cover and cook until all the liquid has been absorbed and both the rice and lentils are well cooked through (about 20 minutes)

Keep covered and undisturbed for 5 minutes or so

Now make the pasta

While the rice and lentils are cooking, make the pasta according to package instructions by adding the elbow pasta to boiling water with a dash of salt and a little oil

Cook until the pasta is al dente

Cover the chickpeas and warm in the microwave briefly before serving

Make the crispy onion topping

Sprinkle the onion rings with salt, then toss them in the flour to coat

Shake off excess flour

In a large skillet, heat the cooking oil over medium-high heat, cook the onion rings, stirring often, until they turn a nice caramelized brown

Onions must be crispy, but not burned (15-20 minutes)