This is the last of a series of three recipes developed by our friend The Dallah. This dish is one recipe using our Laird Lentils that will satisfy the hungriest of folks on a cold winter's night, and we can say that there is really nothing as comforting.
Laird Lentil Mujadra
1 cup Flourist Laird Lentils
3/4 cups medium grain rice
3 medium or 2 large yellow onions
1 large red onion
1 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup vegetable oil
Prep both the yellow and red onions by slicing them with the grain to create long strips (keep separate). Measure out and clean Lentils and rice, set each aside. Put the lentils in a deep saucepan covered with 3 cups of water. Bring to a boil and then simmer covered on medium high for 15-20 mins, until tender with a slight bite.
Put the vegetable oil and olive oil in another deep saucepan and place on medium high. Once oil is hot, sauté onions until tender and almost caramelized. Once the Lentils are done, remove from heat, drain, and return to the pan. Transfer onions and the remaining oil to the sauce pan with the Lentils. Add rice, spices, and stir to mix well. Add 1 and 1/2 cups of water, bring to a boil, and cover and simmer on low heat for 15 minutes.
In the same pan used for cooking the yellow onions, add about a 1/4 cup of vegetable oil and fry the red onions in the same way, except this time cooked until completely caramelized and crisp.
Once the Lentils and rice are done, remove from heat, quickly open and cover pan with a clean kitchen towel and then cover with lid. It will allow the rice to continue to steam while removing any condensation that would make the mixture feel wet. Set aside for 10 minutes. Open and use a fork or wooden spoon to stir and fluff.
Serve with Mint Cucumber Yogurt. A vegan alternative would be to serve with an avocado that you can mash with olive oil, lemon and salt.
Mint Yogurt and Cucumbers
2 cups thick plain greek yogurt
2 cups of cubed cucumbers
2-3 sprigs of mint (about 8-10 leaves), finely chopped
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp of sumac
1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar or 1 Tsp of lemon juice
drizzle of olive oil after serving
Dice the cucumber into about 1 inch cubes. Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl. Serve and drizzle with olive oil.
