Dinner · 50 min · middle-eastern

Mujadara

Middle Eastern flavors, weeknight effort. Brown lentils meets basmati rice in a 50-minute dinner worth keeping in rotation.

✓ USDA-verified nutrition data

Ingredients

• 1.5 cups Brown lentils
• 1.5 cups Basmati rice
• 4 Large onions
• 1/3 cup Olive oil
• 1 tsp Cumin
• 1/2 tsp Cinnamon
• 1 Bay leaf
• 1 Lemon
• 1/4 cup Parsley

Steps

1. Slice the onions as thin as you can — thin slices caramelize; thick slices steam. Cook them in the olive oil over medium heat, stirring often, for 25 minutes, until they are deep mahogany and crisp at the edges. Do not rush this. The onions are the dish.
2. Simmer the lentils with the bay leaf in 6 cups of salted water for 15 minutes. Add the rice and cook 15 more minutes, until both are tender. Drain well.
3. Fold half the caramelized onions, the cumin, cinnamon, and 2 teaspoons of salt into the lentil-rice mixture. The rice should be studded with onions, not buried under them.
4. Pile into a serving dish and crown with the remaining caramelized onions. Squeeze over the lemon juice and scatter parsley.
5. Serve warm or at room temperature. Mujadara is humble peasant food that tastes like patience — a little tangy yogurt or a simple salad alongside makes it a feast.

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