Name: Mujaddara
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 8 Servings
Ingredients: Basmati Rice: 2 cups; Black Lentils: 1 cup; Extra Virgin Olive Oil: 3 tablespoons; Ground Cumin: 1 tablespoon; Vegetable Oil: 2 tablespoons; Onion: 2 big or 3 small, sliced; Water: 3 cups, room temperature

Perfect combination of rice, lentils and caramelised onions

Features:

Ingredients

2 cups Basmati Rice
1 cup Black Lentils
3 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 tablespoon Ground Cumin
2 tablespoons Vegetable Oil
2 big or 3 small, sliced Onion
3 cups, room temperature Water

Directions

This is one of my favorite recipes of all time.
I love rice, I love lentils, and I love the Mediterranean taste of this undemanding dish.
It can be a casual or festive side dish or even a meal.
Mujaddara is also a very nutritious vegan dish.

Most cook the rice and the lentils together.
Since I don’t like mushy food and in particular, mushy rice, I rather cook them separately and combine just before serving.

Steps

1 Done	Prepare the Rice Heat a medium saucepan. When hot, add 2 tablespoons of canola oil. Add the rice and a flat teaspoon of salt, fry for 3-4 minutes. Add the room temp water, stir lightly (once) and cover. When boiling (after about 5 minutes), lower the flame and wait for 10-13 minutes. Turn off the flame. The rice should be done. Let sit for at least 10 minutes.
2 Done	Prepare the lentils In a medium saucepan, add 2 spoons of vegetable oil and heat for a minute. Add 1 cup of lentils and 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil and lower the flame. It should take about 15 - 20 minutes for lentils to soften. Make sure that they don’t get too mushy. When done, turn off the flame. * If the lentils don’t absorb all the water just drain them.
3 Done	Browning the Onions Heat a medium skillet, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil. Add sliced onions and brown. It will take about 7-10 minutes. Be patient.
4 Done	Combine In the same skillet, combine lentils, cumin, and 4 tablespoons of olive oil. That is it. The mujaddara is done.
5 Done	Serve Spread the hot rice in a bowl or a serving dish. Pour Mujaddara topping making a Mujaddara in the middle of the rice. Garnish with chopped parsley and roasted sliced almonds. Enjoy! * Reheat the rice on a low flame for 7 minutes. If the rice is cold or out of the refrigerator pop it in the microwave.