Well what can we say, I made this dish as a quick and cheap end of the month dinner and we fell in love with it....wow...sooo tasty!!! Simple, easy and quick to make I just hope you do try it. Obviously I added some spices to it but they are optional as this dish is quite simple as I said. This recipe is quite old and in fact, the first recorded recipe for Mujaddara appears in Kitab al-Tabikh, a cookbook compiled in 1226 by al-Baghdadi in Iraq. It was indeed known as a dish for the poor and there is a saying in the Eastern Arab world which says, "A hungry man would be willing to sell his soul for a dish of Mujaddara." I added Advieh (which is not an Arabic spice mix but Persian) but you can add Baharat a very popular Arabic spice mix or none at all. It is completely up to your taste! It is vegetarian, although some variations are served with meat but not this one. You can also make it vegan by omitting the yoghurt at the end. So for 3-4 people you will need...
- 3 onions, chopped
- 1 onion, sliced
- 1 cup brown or green lentils
- 1 cup long grain rice
- 3 ½ cups cold water
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon Advieh* or Baharat** spice mixture (optional)
- 1 teaspoon Harissa paste (optional)
- Sesame seeds, to garnish
- Greek (thick) yoghurt, to serve
*To make Advieh spice mixture : Mix 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1
teaspoon ground nutmeg, 1 teaspoon ground rose petals, 1 teaspoon ground
cardamom, 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin in an airtight glass jar and store in a dry cupboard.
**To make Baharat spice mixture : Mix 2 teaspoons paprika, 2
teaspoons ground cumin, 1 teaspoon black pepper, 1 teaspoon
ground coriander, ½ teaspoon ground
cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg, ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom, ¼ teaspoon
ground cloves in an airtight glass jar and store in a dry cupboard.
How to...
- In a small pan heat 2 tablespoons of oil and fry the chopped onions together with the Advieh or Baharat if using on medium heat stirring occasionally until soft and brown. Set aside.
- In a medium (5 litre) pot add the lentils and water, bring to the boil, lower heat and simmer covered for 15 minutes.
- Now add the cooked onions, rice, salt and Harissa paste. Stir well and simmer covered on medium heat for 20 minutes, stirring frequently to avoid rice from sticking to the pot.
- In the meantime, heat the remaining oil in the same pan that you cooked the chopped onions in and cook the sliced onion until caramelized (stirring frequently).
- When everything is cooked, serve the lentil/rice/onions mixture hot, some caramelised onions on top, sprinkle some sesame seeds and a couple of spoonfuls of yoghurt.
Enjoy!!
R&A
