If there was ever a winner of a recipe, it’s mujaddara, a Middle Eastern dish that combines rice, lentils, and delicious crispy onions in one bowl. It’s ideal for practicing cooking both grains and beans. Eat it hot for sure, but don’t be afraid to eat the leftovers cold.
Ingredients
- 10.125 CUPS GREEN OR BROWN LENTILS
- FINE SEA SALT
- 4 YELLOW ONIONS, SLICED INTO THIN HALF-MOONS
- 1 CUP ALL-PURPOSE FLOUR
- 1 CUP NEUTRAL-FLAVORED OIL, SUCH AS GRAPESEED OR CANOLA
- 2 TEASPOONS CUMIN SEEDS
- 1½ TABLESPOONS CORIANDER SEEDS
- 1 CINNAMON STICK
- 2 TABLESPOONS EXTRA-VIRGIN OLIVE OIL
- 1 CUP BASMATI RICE
- 1½ CUPS WATER
- 0.76 CUP CHOPPED MINCED DILL
- 1 CUP PLAIN GREEK YOGURT
How to Make It
- ❶ Put the lentils in a saucepan, cover with plenty of water, salt well, and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook, uncovered, over medium heat until the lentils are cooked through, 30 to 40 minutes. Drain and set aside.
- ❷ While the lentils are cooking, fry the onions: In a large bowl, toss the onions in the flour. Set up a station for the cooked onions—place a wire rack inside a paper towel–lined baking sheet. Heat the vegetable oil in a lidded large skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil begins to shimmer, shake any excess flour from the onions and use tongs to lower a handful into the hot oil. Fry until golden, about 5 minutes, Use tongs to transfer the onions to the prepared rack or paper towels. Continue frying in batches, making sure not to crowd the pan. Season the onions with salt. Discard the oil and wipe down the pan.
- ❸ In the same pan, toast the cumin, coriander, and cinnamon over medium heat until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the olive oil and rice, stir to coat the grains, and toast for another 30 seconds. Add the water and 2 hefty pinches of salt. Bring to a boil, then cover the pot and reduce the heat to the lowest setting. Cook for about 15 minutes, or until the rice is tender.
- ❹ Mix in the cooked lentils. Cover the pot once again, remove from the heat, and allow to sit for 10 minutes.
- ❺ Meanwhile, stir the dill into the Greek yogurt.
- ❻ Remove the cinnamon stick and gently stir in half of the fried onions. Transfer to a serving plate and garnish with the remaining fried onions and the dill yogurt.
