Mujaddara (Lentils and Rice with Caramelized Onions)

La storia di questo piatto

Mujaddara belongs to the Levant, a humble pot where lentils and rice have long met under a canopy of golden onions. It is the kind of dish that asks for little and gives back the whole memory of a kitchen.

Ingredienti

• 200 g Brown (or green) dried lentils
• 200 g Basmati rice
• 4 medium White onion
• 150 ml Extra virgin olive oil
• 2 teaspoons Cumin seeds
• 900 ml Water
• 8 g Salt
• 2 pinches Freshly ground black pepper

Preparazione

1. Rinse the brown lentils under cold running water, rubbing them lightly between your fingers, until the water runs clear. Place them in a pot, cover with 500 ml of cold water and bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, lower the heat to medium-low, cover with the lid and simmer for about 25 minutes. They are ready when, tasting them with a spoon, they mash easily yet hold their shape (they should not turn into a purée). Do not salt the water at the start: the salt goes into the cooking liquid for the rice.
2. While the lentils cook, prepare the caramelized onions: peel 3 onions, halve them and slice them into half-centimetre-thick slices. Pour 50 ml of oil into a wide pan, set the heat to medium and add the onions. Stir often: within a few minutes they will turn translucent, then golden at the edges. Keep stirring about every minute to prevent burning. After 15-20 minutes they will be dark brown, soft, with a sweet and intense aroma. Transfer them to a bowl and set aside.
3. Prepare the crispy onions: peel the fourth onion and slice it into very thin rings, about 2-3 mm thick. Heat about 80 ml of oil in a pan over medium-high heat, until a ring of onion dropped in sizzles immediately. Lower the heat slightly, add the rings and fry, stirring often, for 8-10 minutes, until golden and crisp. Transfer them with a slotted spoon onto paper towels: they will firm up as they cool. Keep the frying oil to drizzle over the finished dish.
4. Drain the lentils through a sieve set over a clean pot, to collect the cooking liquid. Bring the liquid to about 400 ml, adding warm water if needed (roughly a 2:1 ratio with the rice), then add about 1 teaspoon of salt (5-6 g) and heat until steam rises. Set the lentils aside.
5. Take a small dry pan (without oil) and set the heat to medium. Pour in 2 teaspoons of cumin seeds and stir constantly: after about 1-2 minutes they will smell intensely fragrant and turn slightly darker. Don't wait too long, as they can burn. Immediately add the basmati rice (already rinsed and well drained) and stir constantly for 3 minutes, until the rice goes from glossy to opaque and a delicate aroma of toasted hazelnut rises.
6. Pour the toasted rice with the cumin into the hot, salted liquid, stir just once with a wooden spoon, cover with the lid and lower the heat to the minimum. Cook without stirring for 15-18 minutes, until all the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender. Turn off the heat and let it rest covered for 5 minutes.
7. Add the cooked lentils to the rice and mix very gently with a wooden spoon, lifting from the bottom without crushing the grains. Taste and adjust with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Transfer to a serving dish and scatter the caramelized onions and the crispy onions over the surface, finishing with a drizzle of the onion frying oil. Serve immediately.