Megadarra Esaus Dish Or Lentils With Rice Recipes

MUJADARRA (LENTILS WITH RICE)

Steps:

• Fill a large pot with lightly salted water; add lentils and bring to a rolling boil. Cook until slightly tender, about 10 minutes. Add grated carrots; cook until slightly softened, about 10 minutes. Drain lentils and carrots.
• Heat olive oil in the same pot over medium heat; add onions and garlic. Cook and stir until onions wilt and become transparent, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in lentils and carrots and reduce heat to medium-low. Add enough water to the pot to keep the lentil mixture from drying out.
• Sprinkle cumin, cayenne, curry powder, salt, and pepper over lentils; stir until heated through and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Serve over rice.

MEGADARRA, ESAU'S DISH, OR LENTILS WITH RICE

Steps:

• Heat half the butter or oil (2tbsp) in a large, heavy pan, then add the lentils and stir over a medium heat for a couple of minutes.
• Add the water, bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
• Add the rice, cumin and allspice, then return to the boil and mix well.
• Reduce the heat and simmer until the lentils and rice are tender and all the liquid has been absorbed (probably about 15-20 minutes). Keep an eye on it - depending on the type of rice and lentils you use, you may need to add more water. When cooked, season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Meanwhile, heat the remaining butter or oil in a small frying pan, and fry the sliced onions until they are dark golden in colour, adding the garlic towards the end of the cooking.
• When ready to serve, mix about three-quarters of the fried onion into the rice and lentil mixture, then transfer the mixture into a large serving dish. Pour the yoghurt on top, and garnish with the remaining fried onion. Serve immediately.

LEBANESE LENTILS, RICE AND CARAMELIZED ONIONS (MUJADARA)

Steps:

• Throw the lentils into a medium saucepan. Fill with enough cold water to cover the lentils by about an inch. Bring it to a boil over medium-high heat, then turn down to a simmer and cook until the lentils are tender but not mushy, about 20 minutes. Drain and set aside.
• Meanwhile, as the lentils cook, grab a large skillet. Pop it over medium-high heat and add the oil. Allow the oil to warm for a minute, then drop in the cumin seeds and cracked peppercorns and cook, shaking the pan once in a while until the cumin seeds darken a touch, about 1 minute.
• Add the onions, sprinkle with a dash of salt and cook until they turn dark caramel brown, stirring often. This will take about 15 minutes. Splash the onions with a little water if they stick to the bottom of the pan. You'll know they're done both by their deep chestnut color and by the slight crispiness developing on some of the onions.
• Using a slotted spoon or spatula, remove about half of the onions to a paper towel-lined plate; these are for garnish later. Sprinkle in the ground cumin, cayenne and then add the cinnamon stick; saute about 1 minute.
• Add the rice and cook, stirring often (but gently so you don't break the rice!) until some rice grains start to brown. Quickly, add the cooked lentils, 3 cups of water and 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt; bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to low so that the pan is at a simmer, cover and cook 30 minutes. The water should be completely evaporated and rice should be tender. (If there's still too much water in the bottom, put the lid back on and cook for another 5 minutes.)
• Turn off the heat, keep the lid on, and allow the rice to steam undisturbed for about 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, toast the pine nuts, if using, in a small skillet over medium-low heat, shaking often, about 5 minutes.
• Taste the rice for seasoning. Serve with the reserved caramelized onions, toasted pine nuts, if using, and a little squeeze of lemon juice. I also like to serve this with some dollops of Greek yogurt.

MUJADDARA ARABIC LENTIL RICE

Steps:

• Combine the lentils, 2 cups water, 1 teaspoon salt, the cumin, and garlic powder in a pot over medium heat; bring to a simmer, reduce heat to low, and cook until the lentils begin to soften, 20 to 30 minutes.
• Stir the rice, 3/4 cup water, 1 teaspoon salt, and the olive oil into the lentils. Cover the pot and continue cooking until the lentils and rice are tender, about 40 minutes.
• Heat the cooking oil in a skillet over medium heat; cook the onions in the oil until browned, 7 to 10 minutes. Spread the onions over the rice and lentil mixture to serve.

MAJADERA (LENTIL, ONION, AND RICE DISH)

Steps:

• Roughly chop the onions. In a deep pot, heat the oil and add the onions, stirring to coat them.
• Let the onions simmer on low to medium heat, stirring occasionally, until they turn a deep brown or almost black, 15-20 minutes. This is the most important step! It gives most of the flavor to the dish. If necessary, add a little oil to keep the onions from burning.
• Add cumin, cinnamon, and lentils; stir and cook for some seconds.
• Add the water. Bring to a boil, then turn stove to low heat. Let the lentils simmer until soft (about 25-30 minutes; time varies depending on type of lentil).
• Add the rice (or bulgur), salt, and pepper.
• Cover the pot. Cook 10 minutes (or according to the rice instructions). Check after 10 minutes to see if the rice is tender / if needs more water. Turn off heat when done, fluff, and let the rice "rest" for another few minutes with the lid on. Add more salt or pepper if needed.