Lots of lentils are passing through my kitchen these days. They come, get fussed over, pamper in return and disappear. All the talk about how good they are for you is influencing me – rich in protein, low in fat, full of vitamins, calcium and magnesium and they even help mitigate evils like high blood pressure and cholesterol. Really, after all that, can anyone ignore them?
Majadra is a Mediterranean dish that combines lentils with rice or bulgur and lots of sautéed onions. This nice little dish is the kind of dish that makes me wonder every time I make it why I don’t do so more often. It’s moist, full of flavor and texture, and lots of sautéed sweet onions. It’s great as a side dish to meat and can stand alone with a finely chopped salad and some yogurt.
This last version of mine, which will seem ultra-modern to some, contains a mixture of brown and wild rice and black lentils (instead of the traditional green ones) which I find perfect for this dish because they keep their firm texture even after cooking. Aside from those, you add some spices to jazz it up, lots of chopped scallions that give the dish a fresh color and lots of sautéed sweet onion. A big bowl of this in the center of a large table will bring joy to both vegetarians and meat eaters.
To make this dish even healthier, I have a great trick for sautéing onions without a huge amount of oil. You start with a slow and gentle steaming of sliced onions with a dribble of oil and a dribble of water in a covered pan. When the onions are soft and sweet you turn up the heat and let the natural sugars in the onion brown and caramelize. You get wonderful sautéed onion! You’ll never miss the extra oil.
Brown Rice Majadra Recipe
This can be made a day in advance and reheated well before serving.
¾ cup mixed wild and brown rice
¾ cup black lentils
1 ½ cups water
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
¼ teaspoon cumin
Salt and freshly ground pepper
5-6 scallions – green part only – finely chopped
2 sliced onions
2 tablespoon oil
Wash the rice and lentils well and transfer to a pot with the water and the spices. Add salt and bring to a boil. Cover and cook on low heat for 50 minutes (depends on the rice) until all the water has been absorbed and the rice is ready. Remember the final texture of whole or wild rice is quite hard. You can always add more water if needed and cook until fully absorbed. Cover the pot well with a dish towel and set aside for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile – transfer the sliced onions to a wide pan; add oil, a little salt and ¼ cup water and steam covered, stirring occasionally, until the onions are very soft. When all the water is gone turn the heat up and continue sautéing while stirring. You can add a few drops of water if necessary. Continue until perfectly browned, but be careful not to burn and remember to stir occasionally. This is not a good time to leave the kitchen!
Ready?! Mix the onions (both sautéed and green) with the rice and check seasoning.
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This was very good! Great technique to minimize the amount of oil used to saute the onions. I decreased the amount of cinnamon because my husband isn’t always a fan of the flavor. Thanks!!
Do you have any tips on how to reheat the next day?
A few drops of water and in the microwave and it will be as good as new!
Bissim, I just now discovered your blog after returning from Jerusalem, looking for a home shawarma strategy (which I found on your blog) – and ala kefak is all I can say – its the food blog I would write if I wrote a blog.
I have always wanted a 1-pot whole grain majadra recipe and here you have it. I use the same technique for caramelized onions as you describe.
I myself returned from my trip with a yen to make real Kubeh soup (red or hamutzta) Have you attempted Kubeh here?
Fellow Berkeley resident
Moshe
Thanks for the kind words! About kubeh soup – one of my great loves. I used to make a lot of kubeh in a slightly sour beet soup, or a sweet and sour okra, but I don’t have a recipe with exact ingredients and amounts.
I’ve heard great things about the kubeh recipe in the Orna & Ella cookbook if you can get your hands on it.
I am ready to prepare this, and I notice the ratio of b. rice/lentils to liquid is 1:1 (1.5 cups to 1.5 cups)
Anyhow, when I cook brown rice I always go for 1:2 ratio – x2 the amount of water. I know the letils will need to absorb water to cook, so I can’t help but dubious that this will result in fully cooked rice and lentis. if I were making it up i would probably add more water.
Are you absolutely sure about the quantities? here?
thanks again
Moshe
ps I got a great kubbeh soup recipe, still looking for recipe for the kubbeh itself.
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