Mujaddara

  My intention with this blog was to post recipes that are my own or to which I had added my own twist but as I have received a few requests for some classic recipes, I decided to include those as well. If you think about it, there are many ways of preparing the same dish, and the result is always a variation of the main idea. In this case, this is the way I prepare mujaddara. 

Ingredients  (serves 4-6)

- 1 cup green lentils, picked and rinsed
- 1/2 cup rice (I prefer medium grain but this time I used long grain rice)
- 3 large onions, diced
- 1/2 teaspoon - 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 3-4 Tablespoons vegetable oil (canola, sunflower)
- extra virgin olive oil
- salt and pepper

 Cover the lentils with about 4 cm of water, bring to a boil, lower heat and let simmer until they start to fall apart (about 20 minutes). Meanwhile, heat the vegetable oil in a large non stick pan, add the diced onions, give them a good sprinkle of sea salt and sauté until golden brown, stirring frequently. When lentils start to fall apart, add the rice, sea salt and pepper and a little bit more water, if necessary. Stirring often, let simmer until rice is cooked (about 20 minutes more), adding more water a little bit at a time, if needed. You should not have much liquid left when rice is cooked, when you stir the mixture, it should disappear. If you have too much liquid though, keep simmering, uncovered until most liquid evaporates. At this point, add the cinnamon, caramelized onion and a dash of evoo, stir to combine, taste and adjust seasonings. Transfer to a serving bowl and add another drizzle of evoo. Serve with a salad and olives. Sahtein!

Cover lentils with about 4 cm of water and bring to a boil.

When lentils start to fall apart, add the rice.

You should not have much liquid left when the rice is cooked.