Mujadara

BY: Nibal 

Mujadara (pronounced - Moo-judd-urra (or somethin' like that!) 

Lentils & Rice served with carmelized onions, tomato salad, and yogurt. 

• 3 cups (basmati preferred)
• 2 cups lentils (brown) (1 BAG)
• 1 and a half large onions - diced (I do it in the blender)
• 1 Tbsp + more cumin 
• Salt to taste
• Plain Greek Yogurt

Soak rice in hot water for 15-20 minutes - changing water 4-5 times during that time. 

Put diced onions, lentils, and cumin in pot with 8 cups water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until lentils are soft - about 15 to 20 minutes. 

Once lentils are soft, drain rice and add to pot. Add water to just cover rice and lentils and about 1/4" more. Stir once and then don't stir again. 

Bring back to boil, reduce heat and simmer slowly until all water has evaporated. This takes about 10-15 minutes just depending on your heat source and pot. Once water has boiled off, cover pot and turn off heat. (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) Let sit for 15 minutes (the longer the better) or until ready to serve. Fluff with a fork before serving.

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 mins to sweat 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. Serve Mujadara with Carmelized Onions, Tomato Salad, and Plain Yogurt. You can put them all on the side or mix the whole thing together. I like to put all the stuff on the side and then mix each bite.