Time: 45 minutes
Serves: 4 people
Adapted from Lentils and Rice with Caramelized Onions from Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything
Time: 45 minutes
Serves: 4 people
Ingredients
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium onions, thinly sliced (Bittman only recommends one onion caramelized but we really love the caramelized onion on top)
1/2 medium onion, diced
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon ground cumin (optional) (I consider this an optional ingredient because we have made it with and without and, though it tastes better with the cumin, the cumin is not essential to the dish.)
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 cups French green lentil or other firm lentil such as beluga
6-8 cups vegetable stock
1 cup brown rice (Mujadara is traditionally made with brown rice and I would not substitute white rice in this dish)
Directions
1. In a large, deep stockpot or saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add half a chopped onion and cook until onion becomes translucent, about five minutes. Add garlic, cumin, and season liberally with salt and pepper for about two minutes or until garlic becomes fragrant. Add lentils, stir, and add about four cups of stock. Cover with a tight lid. Cook the lentils for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure that the lentils don't stick to the bottom of the pan.
2. In the meantime, heat two tablespoons olive oil in a saute pan over medium-low heat. Add sliced onions and slowly cook onions for 40 to 50 minutes. Stir onions occasionally and let them become a deep, dark, golden brown that almost looks burnt. If the onions finish cooking before the rice and lentils, turn the heat to low and cover to keep warm.
3. After the lentils have cooked for 20 minutes, add in the rice and the remaining stock. Cover with a tight lid. Cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure that the rice and lentils don't burn. If the liquid appears to be getting low, add a half cup of stock.
4. After 20 minutes, check the rice and lentils to ensure that they are cooked through and tender and the liquid has evaporated. If they are not tender, add 1/2 cup of stock and cook for additional time until the rice and lentils are tender and the liquid has evaporated. If the rice and lentils are tender but the liquid has not evaporated, remove the lid and raise the heat to evaporate the liquid quickly.
5. Check seasonings and add salt and pepper if necessary.
6. To serve, spoon the rice and lentils into a bowl with a heap of the caramelized onions on top.