Mujadara - Lebanese Lentil Rice with Caramelized Onions

Blogging Marathon #46: Week 1/Day 1

Theme: Kid Friendly Dishes with Nuts and Legumes

Dish: Mujadara - Lebanese Lentil Rice with Caramelized Onions

I was talking to friends about my blog, and one of them mentioned how I have been posting sweets, desserts, smoothies and muffins and no main dishes for the past few months. It was a genuine feedback, and I took a moment to look back on my past posts. She was right. I felt I had to remedy it with a rice dish or a main course curry dish. With the Blogging Marathon theme that I selected being around legumes, I decided to post this dish that I made over the weekend and that was enjoyed by everyone in the family.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#46

My son's school does a project of picking a new country every month, and this has gotten him interested in talking about which foods originate from which country. Although they didn't pick Lebanon, I was able to sell this dish to him, by talking about it being a dish from Lebanon. The word "Mujadara" means pockmarked - as the lentils stud the rice. It is also a staple in Middle Eastern nations, that is made affordable for even the poor as it is a meat free dish. If it looks and tastes familiar, and if kids are interested in some aspect of the dish, kids are usually willing to try a dish. This also makes a great one pot meal and a nutritious dish that can be easily packed for kids lunch boxes. You can also pre-make the caramelized onion mixture and store in the fridge and cook it along with the rice and lentils in the morning.

I found this recipe on the show Aarti Paarti - Food Network">Aarti Party on Food Network and have adapted it a bit to suit our tastes. I love the way Aarti describes the dishes. I also saw this recipe features in the latest book that Aarti has released. It is so inspiring to see a blogger with Indian roots be a star and a new mom and a cookbook author.

Without more ranting, here is the recipe.

Soak the lentils and rice together for about 15 - 20 minutes.

Heat the oil in a wide skillet. Add the cinnamon stick, cumin seeds and cracked pepper. When the seeds sizzle, add the thinly sliced red onions. Over medium heat cook the onions until they turn dark caramel brown. Stir so that the onions are cooked evenly. You will know that the onions are done when they start to get crispy along the edges. Using a slotted spoon, remove about half of the onions to a paper towel-lined plate; these are for garnish later. Sprinkle in the ground cumin, cayenne and saute about 1 minute.

From here on, I proceeded to cook the rice and lentils in a rice cooker. You may cook them in a pan as well. The ratio I used is: for 1 cup lentils, use 1 cup water and for 1 cup rice use 1 1/2 cups water. So, I used a total of 3 3/4 cups of water for the above mixture. Cook with salt until the rice is done and fluff with a fork.

Before serving, garnish with the reserved caramelized onions, and serve with a side of Greek yogurt.

Verdict: This rice was super flavorful and very filling. There is a rich flavor rendered by the caramelized onions and the olive oil. The caramelized onions also render a beautiful color to the rice dish. It is flavorful without being spicy, which will be loved by kids.