I happen to love foods from all parts of the world. I can appreciate the intensity of Asian spices, the mild comfort of Europe, and the in between.
When I go in between, I often end up in Lebanon, although there are many cultures to choose from for this.
My hometown where I grew up, in Canada between Toronto and Niagara Falls, happen to have a good selection of Lebanese restaurants.
Each one was popular for different reasons. They all had good food but some were more for dining with the family, and some were places to go after the bars were closed. There would be line ups and food would be served until 4 a.m.
I have eaten a good variety of Lebanese food but the simple dishes like this "Mujadara" was never on those menus.
You may wonder what's so special about rice and lentils. I wondered the same when I first heard of this dish. I finally had to see how good it was.
It turned out, that even though there are only 3 main ingredients, not including seasonings and spices, it packs a punch of flavor from the caramelized onion.
Lentils and rice would seem like the two main ingredients, but in the end you could almost asked the question, "would you like some lentils and rice with your onions?"
The onions being caramelized, are not strong but add a flavor to the dish that tastes like a welcoming family home, unless you are an onion hater. In that case... well I don't know what to say.
Mujadara
4 large onions
5 cloves garlic
1 cup brown lentils
1 cup basmati rice
1 stick cinamon
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon chili powder
4 to 5 cups vegetable broth or water (I used broth)
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon oregano
Olive oil for frying
1/4 teaspoon 7 spice
There are many variations of the spices that go into this dish, including hardly any at all. I have chosen to include a blend that is often used. It's called 7 spice which is a blend of Arabic spices.
It's easy to make and nice to have on hand. I would add it to other types of cuisine as well.
7 Spice blend
1 Tablespoon ground allspice
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 1/2 tablespoon ground cumin
1 1/2 tablespoon black pepper
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon nutmeg
A third of the onions were set aside to make separately after to add to the top.
I caramelized the onions and added garlic and spices, in olive oil until they were nice and brown.
Normally the lentils would be partially cooked but mine were soaked overnight so I dared to add them uncooked. I was afraid they would get too soft. In this case I added them before the rice since they would take a little longer.
The lentils were well drained of their soaking liquid. It worked out that I didn't precook the lentils. They softened more quickly from being soaked overnight.
I still didn't add the liquid at this point. Stirring on medium heat with the onions and spices, allowed the lentils to absorb the flavour from the onion.
After five minutes of cooking the lentils I added the rice which had been well rinsed and drained.
I added the liquid slowly simmering until the lentils were tender but not mushy. I forgot to take the photo of adding liquid so I will elaborate on the fact that the liquid was added until the lentils and rice had been absorbed. The liquid could vary depending on the soaking time, the type of lentils and the type of rice. I used the full five cups.
The portion of onions set aside and caramelized were added to the top.
This dish can be served with yogurt as well. I have also seen it include feta cheese.
Aside from onions I have chosen to top this dish with flat leaf parsley, pomegranate seeds and garlicky tahini sauce, which to me screams middle eastern.
I make tahini sauce differently every time. It depends on what I'm using it for. It will be thinner if used on a salad and more acidic.
I will provide an approximate amount of items that I used for this particular sauce. I had it already made from a few days prior.
It's necessary to have a decent blender or to finely mince the garlic before hand to blend the flavors and to avoid garlic chunks.
Tahini sauce
1 cup tahini (sesame paste)
1 cup lemon juice
1/8 cup grapeseed oil
1/4 cup of cold water
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried mint
1/4 teaspoon thyme
1/4 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon salt or more to taste
1 teaspoon agave nectar
Normally agave or sweetener would not be added but I like to offset the lemon just a little. I also used oil as well as water, but the tahini is oily already so it's not necessary for the oil. I just wanted to Minimize the dilution of the flavor. It probably wouldn't have made a difference.
I imagine that this dish would be a side dish consumed with other items. I certainly think that this is a perfect side dish, however, for us it was a perfect main when included with some salad. The leftovers make a good lazy breakfast the next day.
Thanks for dropping by and have a nice day.
design by: @KidSistersPhotos are mine, taken with a Nikon D7500