I had high expectations for this dish. Too high, probably. It was good, but not oh-my-God-Joanie-kept-Roger's-baby-good. Marcus, my lovely husband, sure did like it though. So maybe you will too.
Mujadarrah is the macaroni and cheese of the Middle East: classic comfort food. I was eager to try it. However, when I looked at the ingredients, my first thought was "Where's the flavor?" It didn't bother me that it was a vegetarian dish. I eat plenty of meatless wonders. I was just at a loss for where the flavor would come from. The ingredients were a little boring: lentils, rice, olive oil, an onion, pepper, a little lemon (which I added). Finding flavor on that list is difficult. The answer, of course, is in the onion. Not one to take any risks with my dinner, I increased the onion from one large onion, which the recipe calls for, to two. I also added some tzatziki. That did it. Marcus says that without that extra dollop of flavor, the dish has a hard time solo. If you don't feel like making tzatziki, some extra herbs, like cilantro, would help brighten the flavor.
Mujadarrah
Adapted from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison
Serves 4 as a main (6 to 8 as a side).
Ingredients
6 tbs olive oil
2 very large onions, sliced into rounds 1/4 inch thick (I used purple, you can use yellow or white)
1 1/4 cup brown lentils, rinsed
salt and freshly milled pepper
3/4 cup white jasmine or brown rice
juice of one lemon
Directions
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, striring frequently until it's a rich, dark brown, about 15 minutes {note: I cooked my onions for about 20-25 minutes}. Meanwhile, put the lentils in a suacepan with 1 quart of water and teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 15 minutes. Add the rice, plenty of pepper, and, if needed, addtional water to cover. Cover and cook over low heat until the rice is done, about 15 minutes. Stir in half the onions, then cover and let stand off the heat for five minutes. Spoon the lentil-rice mixture onto plates or a platter and cover with the remaining onions. Top with a few squeezes of lemon.
