Mujadara – Middle Eastern Lentils & Rice

Dice onion and place in a pot (make sure it’s a pot that has a cover) with the lentils, cumin and 2 cups water. Place over medium high heat and bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes until lentils are soft.

Once lentils are soft, add the rice to the pot. Add enough water to just cover rice and lentils and about 1/4″ more. Stir once and then don’t stir again. Bring back to boil, then reduce heat, cover pot and simmer on low until all water has evaporated. This takes about 10-15 minutes just depending on your heat source and pot. I usually check by using a fork to part the rice a little and look into the bottom of the pot to see if there’s any water left.

Once water has evaporated, turn off heat and leave the cover on – let it sit for 15 minutes (the longer the better) or until ready to serve.

Fluff with a fork before serving. Mujadara is traditionally served with Carmelized Onions, Tomato Salad and Plain Yogurt.

Carmelized Onions
4 onions cut into rings about 1/4″ thick
1 tablespoon olive oil

Put onions and olive oil in a thick bottomed skillet (I use a cast iron one) over high heat. Cover for first 5-10 minutes to sweat the onions – this makes them soft and makes the process faster. Once soft, uncover and let cook over medium/high heat stirring often until they are a dark golden brown.

Tomato Salad
3 medium tomatoes
3 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper

Dice tomatoes and toss in a bowl with olive oil and salt and pepper to taste.

Enjoy!