1Finely slice two large onions and mix them with two heaping spoons of cornstarch.
2Deep fry the onion slices in a good amount of oil, not shallow but not deep fry either, somewhere in the middle and don't overflow your pan; do it in batches. Once the onion starts to get that blondish brown color, place it on a kitchen paper, give it a good pinch of salt.
3Sauté a diced onion in some of the onion oil, add four minced cloves of garlic with a heaping tablespoon of coriander powder. Once it smells like heaven, add three tablespoons of white vinegar and let it evaporate for a minute.
4Then add two cups worth of blended tomatoes and two tablespoons of tomato paste. Season with a pinch of salt, a crack of black pepper, then drop the heat to a simmer, cover and let it thicken for about 10 minutes.
5For the second condiment (Chili garlic vinegar), add two tablespoons of minced garlic and chili to a cup of boiling water and let it infuse for a couple of minutes. Add the juice of six limes, a cup of white vinegar, salt, pepper, a teaspoon of cumin and coriander powder.
6For the last condiment (Shatta), mix two or three tablespoons of chili powder with a bit of the onion oil. Once it starts to bubble, add two scoops of the salsa that we made at the beginning with a splash of water. Let it reduce till nice and thick.
7Boil some spaghetti that has been broken in half with a handful of baby macaroni. Once they're done, drizzle a bit of the onion oil and mix them so they get glossy and to prevent them from sticking.
8Toast some vermicelli noodles in a bit of the onion oil till they start changing color. Then add a cup of Egyptian short grain rice that has been washed super thoroughly and toasted with the vermicelli noodles for a couple of minutes.
9Add a cup or a cup and a half of brown lentils that has been soaked for at least an hour. This is the only source of protein in the recipe, so you can add more if you want. Add enough water to cover the rice, but you can still see it (basically half a centimeter above the rice).
10Season with salt, pepper, a teaspoon of cumin powder and coriander powder. Give it a gentle stir and once the rice starts soaking the water and you clearly see it cover, let it cook on the lowest heat possible for about 15 minutes.