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Mujadara (Middle Eastern Lentils with Rice)
By Thrive Life · 4 servings
5m prep time
40m cook time
MUJADARA - good luck pronouncing it if you haven't heard it first. Because it is translated from Arabic, you'll find all variations of the English spelling and you will also find many variations in the recipe. A classic standby in Arabic cooking, (fi
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Ingredients
- 1 c. Lentils these are brown - commonly referred to as green lentils - NOT the red lentils which cook up very differently
- 1 c. White Rice Bucket or your favourite type of rice: basmati is nice
- 1 c. Chopped Onions- Dehydrated I know, seems like a lot but mujadara is all about the onions - trust me
- 1/2 c. Olive Oil or your favourite cooking oil. Coconut oil is great to use.
- 3 1/2 c. Water
- 1 tsp. Iodized Salt
- 1 tbsp. Cumin Seed - powdered
- 1 tsp Black Pepper
- 1 c. THRIVE Onion Slices - Freeze Dried I know, more ONIONS (slice up one onion if you don't have THRIVE sliced onions)
- 1/4 c. Olive oil or your favourite cooking oil
Directions
- Always rinse lentils in strainer. When using non-THRIVE lentils, watch for little pieces of rock to remove. Get into the habit - it is just the way lentils often come.
- Using medium sized pot, bring lentils to a boil in 3 1/2 cups salted water. Reduce heat, cover, and gently simmer for 15-20 minutes or till tender to the taste.
- While lentils are cooking, saute chopped onions in oil till aromatic and lightly toasted.
- When lentils are tender, add rice to the water. Stir to mix, add cumin powder, pepper and return lid to simmer another 15 minutes.
- For the last 5 minutes of cooking, add onions to rice/lentil mix and toss to incorporate well. If you need to add a little water at this point - go ahead.
- While rice is cooking, rehydrate your onion slices in 3-4 Tablespoons of water, then saute in oil. You are looking to carmelize the onions so keep them on the heat, gently stirring once in a while till golden brown.
- When rice - lentil - onion mixture is cooked, turn out onto serving platter.
- Top with caramalized onion slices. Serve. Mujadara is a complete protein dish so it is appropriate to serve as the main dish or as a side dish. Terrific served with tzatziki and a Greek Salad with lettuce on the side. Traditionally, this is served with plain yogurt and shredded or chopped cucumber on top of it. Try it - more refreshing and wonderful than you might expect. Better yet, make up some homemade tzatziki to serve with it. It can be served warm or at room temperature.
- Mujadara lends itself to all sorts of variations. Don't be afraid to add meat if you want. Wouldn't sausage crumbles be wonderful in it?