Egyptian Koshari with homemade cooked chickpeas – Gluten-free version

👨‍🍳 Method

For the homemade cooked chickpeas ✓ Homemade · or skip – back to store-bought

1. 1
   Soak the chickpeas overnight in plenty of cold water.

   Bowl

   💡Soak in plenty of water, well above what's being soaked: legumes and grains swell and drink water, and whatever sticks out stays hard. Drain well before continuing.
2. 2
   Drain, cover with plenty of unsalted water and cook 1.5–2 hours, skimming off the foam and skins from time to time, until the chickpeas are very soft and crush easily between your fingers.

   ColanderStovePot

   💡Fully cooked chickpeas crush between your fingers with no resistance at all. Chickpeas that stay a little firm make a grainy spread, and no amount of tahini will fix it.
3. 3
   Drain, reserving a cup of the cooking liquid.

   Colander

For the Caramelized Onion

1. 4
   Cook the lentils in the water in a separate pot.

   StovePot
2. 5
   Cook the pasta in a separate pot and drain.

   StovePotColander
3. 6
   Cook the rice in a separate pot with the turmeric and the rest of the salt.

   StovePot
4. 7
   Heat the oil in a wide pot and fry the onion over medium-low heat 20–25 minutes, stirring, until it is deep brown.

   StoveWide, shallow pot

   💡Onion caramelizes with patience: over medium heat it reaches deep brown in about half an hour, over low heat it takes close to an hour, and over high heat it burns at the edges before it softens. A pinch of salt at the start draws out its liquid, and when it starts to stick, add a tablespoon of water and scrape the bottom.
5. 8
   Remove about half of the onion to a bowl, for garnish, and leave the rest in a pot.

   Bowl

To assemble

1. 9
   To the onion left in the pot, add the garlic and cumin and fry for a minute.

   Stove
2. 10
   Add the tomatoes, paprika and chili pepper, season with some of the salt and cook 15 minutes.

   Stove
3. 11
   Layer the rice, lentils, pasta and hummus on a plate, pour the tomato sauce over the top and sprinkle with the onion you set aside.