Cover the dried lentils and dried chickpeas with water and soak for 3 hours before starting the cooking stages. The legumes will hydrate and swell during this preparation.

Boil the soaked dried chickpeas for 45 minutes to an hour, drain, then replenish the water and add the cumin for a second 30-minute boil. Once the chickpeas are tender, finish them with the juice from the lime half.

Slice the onions into rings, coat them with the flour, and leave them for 30 minutes before frying. The flour should cling to the onion surfaces.

Fry the coated rings in oil, preferably sunflower oil, then lift them onto paper towels with a frying spatula and salt to taste. Reserve the frying oil for the rice and optional fresh sauce, keeping the crisp onions separate.

Process the tomatoes, bell pepper, onion, and garlic, including the optional spicy pepper if desired, then blend in cumin, coriander, reserved onion oil, lime juice, salt, and pepper. The vegetables should form a spoonable blended sauce.

Process the onions, then cook them in the reserved onion oil in a high-rimmed pot over low heat for about 10 minutes. The onion mixture should soften slowly.

Add the drained soaked lentils and water, bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for about 10 minutes or until softened. The soaked lentils will measure about 2.25 cups and should become tender before the rice goes in.

Reduce the heat to medium-low, stir in the rice, salt, and pepper, and cook covered for about 12 to 15 minutes before switching off the heat and resting covered for 5 minutes. Check for tender rice before beginning the covered rest.

Bring water to a boil with about 1 tbsp salt, and break the spaghetti into quarters by snapping it in half twice, working with about 15 strands at a time. The shortened strands should fit comfortably on a spoon alongside the elbows.

Boil the broken spaghetti and elbow pasta together until they reach your preferred firmness, then drain and set aside. Keep the pasta firm enough to retain its shape beneath the sauces.

Purée the tomatoes in a blender and pass them through a strainer into a bowl, or choose canned passata, then mince the garlic. The strained tomato mixture should be smooth.

Heat the ghee, or oil for the vegan variation, with the optional chili for 30 seconds, add the garlic, then add tomato paste and vinegar for about 30 seconds before pouring in the tomatoes. The garlic and chili should become aromatic without burning.

Stir in cumin, coriander, salt, sugar, and black pepper, then simmer for about 10 minutes. The tomato, garlic, and vinegar should come together into a tangy sauce.

Build each portion with lentil rice, pasta, chickpeas, vinegar tomato sauce, optional fresh sauce, and finally fried onions. The onion crown should remain distinct above the sauced layers.