Рецепт Mujadara [Mujaddara] | Lentils and Rice with Caramelized Onions + Spiced Yogurt Recipe
Lentils, made quickly in my beloved pressure cooker.Caramelizing the onions, the best part of this dish..
Mujadara | Lentils and Rice with Caramelized Onions Recipe
Serves: 3-4
Ingredients:
For Mujadara:
- 1 cup whole black lentils
- 1 cup rice (I used basmati)
- 5 tbsp oil
- 3 medium sized onions, thinly sliced
- salt & pepper
- fresh coriander, chopped
- For Spiced Yogurt:
- 1 cup thick yogurt (I used Greek)
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 1/2 tsp red chilli powder
- fresh mint, finely chopped
- juice of half lemon
- salt
Instructions:
There are just four distinct steps for this recipe and each of them can be done simultaneously to save time -
Cook Lentils.
Cook Rice.
Caramelize Onions.
Toss everything with salt and pepper. If you can, make this dish ahead and set aside for the flavors to develop. Just before serving, warm slightly and enjoy with spiced yogurt.
Now for some detailed steps...
In a large pot, add lentils with 1/2 tsp salt and 4 cups of water. Let it come to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 20 mins, until it is mushy. Drain and set aside. Alternatively, pressure cook lentils with same amount of water for 1 whistle. Let the pressure release naturally, drain the water.
While the lentils are simmering, cook rice with 1.5 cup of water. Use more water (1:2 proportions if using any other kind of white rice). Fluff and set aside. Instead on the stove top, I used my handy rice cooker for this step.
In a wide pan, heat olive oil. One can also use a combination of butter and olive oil. Once the oil is hot, reduce the heat to medium and add sliced onions. Stir. Sprinkle a pinch of salt on top. It helps the moisture to ooze out and slightly quicken the process. Cook for 10 to 12 minutes, until the onions are soft and browned. The tip I learnt from the original recipe is to NOT to stir the onions more than twice. Let the bottom layer be charred and crisped. Add 1 tbsp of water if it is too dry. I didn't add anything. The entire process took about 20 minutes excluding the slicing. Trust me, this might seem time-consuming but oh-so-worth-it. Set aside the onions to cool a bit.
Finally, add lentils, rice, salt and pepper to the caramelized onions. I also added a handful of chopped coriander for freshness.
To make the yogurt, combine all the ingredients listed in a bowl.
On a plate, serve Mujadara with a big scoop of spiced yogurt. No other accompaniments are needed.
Toss and ServeMujadara, ready to be devoured..