Mujaddara is a delicious rice and lentil dish popular in the Middle East. It’s warmly spiced, comforting, and packed with protein and fiber. Serve this yummy vegan side dish as part of a Levantine mezze feast with salads, hummus, pita and grilled eggplant.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup brown lentils
- 1 cup basmati rice
- 5 cups veggie stock
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 large white onions
- 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
Instructions:
- Take a heavy bottomed pan with a lid and place it over a medium heat. Add the stock, bay leaves, cinnamon stick, cumin and pepper.
- Bring to the boil and add the lentils. Cook for around 10 minutes until the lentils are partially cooked through.
- Add the rice, turn the heat down and cover with a lid.
- Cook for around 15 minutes until all the water is absorbed and the rice is fluffy. Turn off the heat and wrap the lid in a clean tea towel and replace. Set aside.
- In the meantime, finely slice the onions.
- Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan and add the onions. Fry for around 20 minutes until the onions are golden brown and caramelized.
- Remove the onions from the pan with a slotted spoon (reserve the leftover oil for future use) and sprinkle with salt.
- Mix 3/4 of the onions and 3/4 of the parsley into the rice and lentil mixture and use the rest as a topping.
- Serve at room temperature.
