Mujadara
Source of Recipe
Aarti Sequeira on Food Network
Recipe Introduction
Pronounced mm-JHUD-druh, this lentil, caramelized onion, and rice dish is something I’ve eating for years and never thought to make. I don’t remember it specifically, but probably ate it as a little girl in Ma Funk’s house. Aunt Delores’ maternal family was from Syria, and I benefitted from being the little fat girl that would try anything. I stuck my nose up at my mom’s peas and cooked carrots, but I’d eat anything off the end of the spoon in their Syrian kitchen. We liked the flavor of this dish so much and were happy with how well it reheated. But I was unsure of the consistency. I thought it was possibly too cohesive and should have been fluffier. I think perhaps I overcooked it slightly. I may also try cooking the rice separately and tossing it with the lentils when serving. This is supposed to be a vegetarian main course, but we served it as a side dish with some roasted chicken. When it is used as a side dish, the volume is rather excessive. I may try to halve the recipe next time. We didn’t find that the yogurt really added anything, but I did serve it with Durkee onions for some oniony crunch and that was really good.
Recipe Link: https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/aarti-sequeira/lebanese-lentils-rice-and-caramelized-onions-mujadara-recipe-1925439#reviewsTop List of Ingredients
1 cup brown or green lentils (not lentils du Puy), sorted for debris and rinsed
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon cracked black peppercorns
3 medium red onions, very thinly sliced
Kosher salt
3/4 cup basmati rice
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (I used a couple shots of hot sauce)
1 (1-inch) cinnamon stick (or 1/4 t. ground cinnamon)
2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts, optional
Squeeze of fresh lemon juice
Greek yogurt, for serving, optional
Canned French fried onions (Durkees)
Recipe
Put the lentils in a medium saucepan and cover them with water by about an inch. Bring to a boil, then simmer until tender, but not mushy 15-20 minutes [SEE MY NOTE ABOVE RE: TIMING – I WILL START TESTING THESE AT THE 15 MINUTE MARK TO PREVENT OVERCOOKING]. Drain and set aside.
While the lentils are cooking, add the oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the cumin seeds and cracked peppercorns and cook, shaking the pan a bit until they become fragrant – about a minute. Add the onions and a pinch of salt and cook until they are deeply caramelized, stirring often. If they start to stick in the pan add a little water (you can also lower the heat to medium, if you need to). You want them dark and starting to crisp. Remove HALF of the onions from the pan and place on a paper towel – these are to garnish the mujadara later.
To the onions remaining in the pan add the GROUND cumin, cayenne (or hot sauce), and the cinnamon stick and sauté for about a minute. Then, add the rice and cook, stirring often and gently. When some of the rice is just starting to brown add the cooked lentils, 3 cups of water and 1 ½ teaspoons of salt. Bring this to a boil. Turn down to low simmer, cover and cook for about 30 minutes – the water should be completely evaporated and the rice and lentils tender. [SEE MY NOTE ABOVE RE: THE TEXTURE OF THIS WHEN DONE.]
Remove from the heat, leave covered and allow to sit for 5 minutes. This will finish steaming the rice. Taste and adjust seasoning, if needed. Serve with the reserved caramelize onions (and the Durkee onions) and a squeeze of lemon juice (and yogurt, if you like).
Serves 6-8 as a main course, up to twice that amount as a side dish.
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