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Mujadara (Lentils & Rice with Crispy Onions)

This Mujadara dish is a hearty meal consisting of brown lentils and rice with sautéed crispy onions!
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Middle Eastern
Servings 6 servings

Equipment

  • 2 Skillets

Ingredients
  

For the Lentils & Rice

  • 2 medium cloves garlic finely grated
  • ¼ medium whole cinnamon stick
  • 1 medium bay leaf
  • ⅛ tsp black pepper
  • 1½ tsp roasted and ground cumin seed powder
  • ¾ tsp pink salt add more as desired at the end
  • 2½ cups of water
  • ½ cup uncooked brown rice, long grain
  • ½ cup cooked and boiled brown lentils
  • ¼ cup fresh cilantro chopped

For the Onions

  • 2½ tbsp olive oil
  • 1 medium red onion thinly sliced
  • ⅛ tsp pink salt

Instructions
 

  • In a large skillet over medium heat on the stove top, combine all the ingredients up to and including the water, and bring it to a boil.
  • Once it is boiling, add in the rice and move the heat to medium. Let it simmer for 10 minutes, then add in the lentils and simmer again on medium-low for ~20 minutes, or until the liquid is absorbed.
  • In a separate skillet over medium-high heat (make sure it is wide so your onions can spread out), add the olive oil. When it's hot, throw in the onions and stir them every so often to make sure they don't stick to the pan.
  • When they are starting to brown, turn the stove to low heat to let them slowly cook and caramelize, for about 25 minutes. Add in extra oil as needed. The onions should not be drying out too much.
  • Once this is done, take the onions out of the pan using a slotted spoon (to drain the excess oil) and spread them on a lined plate to cool. Sprinkle the 1/8 teaspoon over them, and let them cool.
  • When the lentils and cooked rice are done, take them off the heat and put a towel over top of them to absorb steam for 10-15 minutes.
  • Throw away the bay leaves and add the cilantro into the pot. Serve warm, and garnish with more cilantro as desired.

Notes