Mujaddara - Lebanese Lentil Dish

"Moo-jah-DAH-rah"

Josh made this dish for us tonight and it was simple yet scrumptious! We used brown rice and added some chopped fresh jalapeños on top (because Josh likes all his food spicy) and it was a delicious addition. I have to admit, this recipe was a bit laborious, but it was totally worth it.

Ingredients: (4 servings)

• 2 1/4 cups of lentils
• 1 and 1/2 cups of long grain rice
• 4 medium onions, caramelized
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 5 cups of water
• 1/3 cup of oil for frying (coconut or vegetable)
• 1 Table spoon of olive oil

Preparation Method (60 minutes)

1. Rinse the lentils with cold water and remove any apparent debris.
2. Add the lentils to a pot filled with 5 cups of water, bring to a boil over medium heat, then reduce heat, cover, and let simmer for 20-25 minutes or until lentils are tender.
3. Add rice, salt and the olive oil to the pot and stir well. You may need to add 1/2 cup of water if a lot of water had evaporated already. Cover and let simmer on low heat for 30 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, peel and chop the onions lengthwise and fry them in 1/4 cup of coconut or vegetable oil, for about 20 minutes or until they’re caramelized (dark brown). Strain onions to remove excess oil once done and set aside.
5. Once rice has fully cooked, mix it well, then pour it in your serving plate and garnish it with the caramelized onions. Please note that you could also mix half of the caramelized onions with the rice and lentils while they have about 10 minutes left in cooking.

Preparation time: 5 minute(s)
Cooking time: 55 minute(s)

Here's a link to the recipe we used as a guideline from Mama's Lebanese Kitchen:
http://www.mamaslebanesekitchen.com/vegetarian/lentils-rice-caramelized-onions-mudardara/