A great side dish – with warm, comforting flavors from ground cumin and cayenne. Do serve it with a nice piece of grilled meat – even Tandoori chicken, which is what I used.
This dish I made a couple of months ago – before we went on our trip in late September. I served it alongside some Tandoori chicken. This stuff was really good – if you look closely at the photo above, you can see just one little piece of the caramelized onion – just about in the center, dark brown. Those onions are what “make” this dish. You don’t want to prepare the dish without the onions – you’ll be clamoring for more onions – in fact when I make this again, I’ll probably make more onion, just because it’s that delicious.
There you can see the onions all by themselves. Really brown and scrumptious. Use a good, sturdy pan when you make them as they’ll burn easily otherwise.
The recipe came from Aarti Sequiera, of the Food Network. I followed her recipe exactly. Do give yourself ample time – this takes longer to prepare than you might think (she estimated 1 1/2 hours). Make a big batch, freeze the leftovers with the caramelized onions separated in a different plastic baggie inside the main one with the rice and lentils. Add the pine nuts as a garnish. And remember that lentils are really good for you. Use brown basmati rice if you have it. She served this as a meatless entrée, along with an eggplant salad, which I’ll also post soon.
What I liked: the overall flavor – a great backdrop for some delicious spicy grilled meat – chicken? fish? Even beef or pork. I was so glad I had leftovers as they made a side dish for another meal several days later. Next time I’d double it and freeze the leftovers in a couple of different packages.
What I didn’t like: nothing at all. Delish.
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Lebanese Lentils, Rice and Caramelized Onions (Mujadara)
Recipe By: Aarti Sequiera, Food Network, 2011
Serving Size: 6
NOTES: Be sure to look over the lentils to make sure there aren’t any stones or debris in them. My advice: make more onions than the recipe calls for – you’ll love them. And maybe even double the recipe and freeze the leftovers in smaller packages, with the caramelized onions in a separate small baggie inside. Don’t freeze the pine nuts inside the leftovers, unless you freeze them in yet another baggie.
1 cup lentils — not lentils du Puy, sorted for debris and rinsed
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns — cracked in mortar and pestle
3 medium red onions — thinly sliced
Kosher salt
3/4 cup basmati rice
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 cinnamon stick — (1-inch)
2 tablespoons pine nuts — optional
1 squeeze fresh lemon juice
Greek yogurt — for serving, optional
1. Throw the lentils into a medium saucepan. Fill with enough cold water to cover the lentils by about an inch. Bring it to a boil over medium-high heat, then turn down to a simmer and cook until the lentils are tender but not mushy, about 20 minutes. Drain and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, as the lentils cook, grab a large skillet. Pop it over medium-high heat and add the oil. Allow the oil to warm for a minute, then drop in the cumin seeds and cracked peppercorns and cook, shaking the pan once in a while until the cumin seeds darken a touch, about 1 minute.
3. Add the onions, sprinkle with a dash of salt and cook until they turn dark caramel brown, stirring often. This will take about 15 minutes. Splash the onions with a little water if they stick to the bottom of the pan. You’ll know they’re done both by their deep chestnut color and by the slight crispiness developing on some of the onions.
4. Using a slotted spoon or spatula, remove about half of the onions to a paper towel-lined plate; these are for garnish later. Sprinkle in the ground cumin, cayenne and then add the cinnamon stick; saute about 1 minute.
5. Add the rice and cook, stirring often (but gently so you don’t break the rice!) until some rice grains start to brown. Quickly, add the cooked lentils, 3 cups of water and 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt; bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to low so that the pan is at a simmer, cover and cook 30 minutes. The water should be completely evaporated and rice should be tender. (If there’s still too much water in the bottom, put the lid back on and cook for another 5 minutes.)
6. Turn off the heat, keep the lid on, and allow the rice to steam undisturbed for about 5 minutes.
7. Meanwhile, toast the pine nuts, if using, in a small skillet over medium-low heat, shaking often, about 5 minutes.
8. Taste the rice for seasoning. Serve with the reserved caramelized onions, toasted pine nuts, if using, and a little squeeze of lemon juice. I also like to serve this with some dollops of Greek yogurt.
Per Serving: 411 Calories; 21g Fat (43.4% calories from fat); 13g Protein; 47g Carbohydrate; 13g Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 23mg Sodium.
Joanne
said on November 22nd, 2011:
Carolyn, we have this as a main course and serve it with fattoush…a favorite meal of my kids! Larry grew up with this as his Friday night meal…the Syrian Orthodox did not eat meat on Fridays and this was a staple. His family’s version is a bit different, we cook the lentils for 20 minutes before adding the rice and then mix it with the caramelized onions (lots) at the end. No other spices but salt. My recipe comes from the church’s cookbook. we will have to try Aarti’s recipe and compare.
Hi Joanne – I was thinking about you this morning, wondering how you and the family are doing. Thanks for the info about the mujadara – I just loved it, and thought the caramelized onions just put it over the top. Are you celebrating Thanksgiving this week? Do I remember you baking a turkey a few years back for some French friends who knew nothing about what an American Thanksgiving is all about? Hope things are going well for you. . . carolyn t