Koshari recipe - Telegraph 4 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed 250g good chopped canned tomatoes with their juice 2 tsp finely ground black pepper 2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes, to taste for the koshari 8 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil 3 medium white onions, halved and thinly sliced 170g vermicelli broken into 2.5cm pieces 100g green split peas, soaked for 1 hour in cold water 150g basmati rice, rinsed 120g cooked chickpeas 60g mini macaroni or similar, cooked 2 tbsp chopped coriander To make the tomato sauce, put the oil and chopped onion in a saucepan and gently cook over a medium heat until golden. Stir in the garlic and cook for a couple more minutes, then add the tomatoes and spices. Simmer for 10-20 minutes, until thickened. Blend the sauce in a liquidiser until smooth, and keep warm. While the tomato sauce is cooking, start preparing the koshari. Put the olive oil in a frying pan and place over a medium heat. Add the onions and fry, stirring occasionally, until golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and spread on to paper towels to drain off the excess oil. Add the vermicelli to the oil, sauté until lightly browned, then put to one side. Put the split peas in a saucepan with the water. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 15-30 minutes. They should be quite tender by the time you add the rice. Add the rice to the peas. Simmer for another 10 minutes and stir in the vermicelli and the remaining oil. Add salt to taste. Wrap the lid of the pan with a clean kitchen towel, add the macaroni and chickpeas, place the lid back over the pan and remove from the heat. Let it sit for 10 minutes, or until the vermicelli are tender and the liquid fully absorbed. Stir in half the fried onion and reserve the other half for garnish. Use a fork to stir the rice so that you fluff it up at the same time. Transfer the koshari to a serving dish, ladle the tomato sauce all over and scatter the remaining caramelised onion and the chopped coriander over the sauce. Serve hot.