Real food cooked by real people

[figment]

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/02/weekinreview/02bittman.html

This article recommends learning to cook three basic recipes to make yourself and the planet healthier. They are: a stir fry, a chopped salad, and a lentils-and-rice recipe. These are all staple meals in our household (add tacos - which we use as a loose term for some almost-always vegetarian combination of beans, onions, salsa, and other goodies as available, wrapped in a tortilla - to complete our list of Stuff We Eat Almost Weekly).

If you haven't already gotten my recipe for lentils yet, here you go. Mjadra is a Lebanese dish, very basic "poor people's" food, as beans and rice tends to be. It's easy - takes about 40 minutes, almost none of which requires your attention - and very low in ingredients, most of which don't spoil easily. And it's delicious. For me, for my brothers, and for my husband, it's comfort food. My father likes to say it's the lentil pottage that Esau sold his birthright for.


Mjadra (Lebanese lentil pottage)

1 C uncooked lentils (brown)
4 C water (or stock)
1 lg. onion, chopped
1/2 C olive or vegetable oil
1/8 t pepper
1/8 t cumin
salt to taste
1/2 C uncooked rice (if brown, add at beginning of process. If white, add when combining onions and lentils)

Rinse lentils and rice and place in a pan with water and seasonings. Boil for 20 minutes on medium heat. Saute chopped onions in oil. Add onion and residue to the lentils. Cover and cook for 20 minutes. Stir occasionally. Serve on a platter--thickens as it cools. Eat hot or cold, with bread or alone. Great with a salad on the side.

Serves 4-6

Comments

[kalmn]

how long does cooking the onions take?

[figment]

Maybe 20 minutes. More if you like your onions really browned.

I usually just start cooking the onions, on medium heat, about the same time I start boiling the lentils. If you slap a lid on the onions and give them a stir once or twice, then they'll be ready when it's time to add them to the lentils.

You can also just toss the onions into the lentils toward the end of the process, if you like your onions more browned. The main goal with the timing of the onion cooking, in my opinion, is to reduce the number of times you have to get up and do anything to stuff on the stove. So starting everything at once is good for that, and then you only have to break once to stick the onions in with everything else.

[pants_of_doom]

This looks super good. I'm going to make it.

[ninevah]

I'd love to try this. In your opinion, how would *you* spice it up (obviously, the things you could do are endless)?

[figment]

Honestly, I like it so much as is that all I usually do is use the brown rice option, cook the onions a nice long time (as I posted above to kalmn, I start the onions on medium the same time as the lentils & rice), and occasionally use stock/bouillon. I don't usually do ALL stock/bouillon, maybe 1/2 that and 1/2 water, or I find it gets too salty. Add more cumin if you like cumin?

One of the things about this is that you stir it a fair bit right at the end and it ends up looking sort of like oatmeal, goopy and honestly not necessarily all that appealing. But the texture is something I enjoy about it when I eat it. I usually eat it with bread and salad -- you can spread it on the bread if you like -- so that gives me variation in the meal...

I feel like there might be potential in adding toasted nuts right at the end. You could try to go Indian with it and add curry powder... wow that would change it into something almost like dahl. (Which I also like, but is different...)

[kittenmint.livejournal.com]

We do something similar to your tacos - burrito style with some beans =oD.

This looks freaking DELISH!! I cannot wait to try this! Thank you!

What kind of rice do you use? The only thing I have kicking around is sushi rice and I'm not sure that would work.

[birdfigment.livejournal.com]

I use long grain rice. I think sushi rice would be a little too sticky to work right.

BTW, I highly recommend you use brown rice, it's extra healthy and easier 'cos you just throw it all into the water at the same time. And if you have to go buy rice anyway... get the long grain brown stuff. Any long grain will do.

[kittenmint.livejournal.com]

Have you ever added other veggies to this in the second 20 minute stage? Like carrot chunks, or cauliflower (plus a little extra spice and broth to balance)?

[birdfigment.livejournal.com]

No, I never have. I think I'd tend toward making the veggies as a side instead. I think it might mess up the final texture - which is something like thick oatmeal, as both the rice and lentils break down a little in the cooking process. Still, if you try it let me know how it works out!

[kittenmint.livejournal.com]

I made this last night. OMG. SOOO YUMMY!! I increased the cumin (I love cumin!), used veggie stock (not water), only used a drizzle of olive oil - enough to cook the onions (not a full 1/2 cup), and I used brown rice (as suggested). HOLYCOW!! I know why you love this so much! THANK YOU!

[birdfigment.livejournal.com]

Yay! You're welcome, I'm glad you enjoyed it! nice to have a good meal be so easy. :-)