Mama's Mujadara (Lentils, Rice & Crispies!)
Ingredients
- 2 large yellow onions
- 3/4 cup vegetable oil (I use avocado oil)
- 1 cup brown lentils
- 1 cup long grain rice*
- 2 Persian cucumbers
- 2 medium-sized tomatoes
- handful of parsley
- juice of 1 lemon
- extra virgin olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
1. Start by thinly slicing your onions. You want them to be mostly uniform so they cook evenly. (Otherwise some will burn before the others have cooked.) Sprinkle liberally with salt.
2. Add vegetable oil to your pan over medium- high heat. When hot, add the onions, stirring frequently, until they are dark brown.
3. Remove half of the onions using a slotted spoon and place in a paper towel lined bowl.
4. Rinse 1 cup of lentils and add them to the remaining onions and oil along with 1 cup of water. (I chose not to remove any of the oil and added it to my rice for a little richness, but you are welcome to discard some of the oil if you prefer.) Have a splash guard or cover ready as it may sizzle.
5. Add salt and pepper. Par cook the lentils for 15 minutes, scraping the bottom of the pan to make sure you get all the onion bits. Add more water as needed so the lentils are just covered in water.
6. Add the rice and an additional 1.5 cups of water. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to low, cover, and cook for 20 minutes or until water is absorbed and rice is cooked.
7. Meanwhile make the salad by dicing the cucumber and tomato and adding to a bowl with the finely chopped parsley, lemon juice and about 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste.**
8. Serve lentils and rice with salad on top and some of the remaining crispy onions.
Notes
*My Mom swears by using Uncle Ben's Rice for this recipe so that's what I use too!
** The salad really is a "little bit of this, little bit of that" you could add some chopped bell pepper, fresh mint, etc. Taste it to make sure the olive oil and lemon are well balanced and there is enough salt depending on how salty your rice is.