Rice and Grains

Brown Rice Mejadra / Mujadarra / Megadarra

Here is an old and comforting dish of rice and lentils topped with crispy fried onions.  Usually, you start the lentils then add the white rice after 15-20 minutes.  Brown rice is a nutritious whole grain with the bran and germ intact.  It takes longer to cook than polished white rice, so we are starting the rice and lentils together.  The spice blend (to which we are tempted to add a ¼ teaspoon of cardamom) is inspired by Yotam Ottolenghi.

Yogurt with chopped sweet herbs like parsley, mint and tarragon stirred through makes a great topping.

Ingredients:

Preparation:

Time: 1 Hour
Yield: 4 SERVINGS
  • Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a heavy, lidded saucepan until fragrant. Stir in the spices and heat for a moment. Raise the heat and stir in the rice. Make sure each grain is coated with oil. Stir in the lentils.
  • Raise the heat to high. Pour in the water and bring to a rapid boil. Cover the pot and drop the temperature to medium -low. Simmer until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender, about 40- 45 minutes.
  • While the rice and lentils cook, lightly coat the onions with the flour. Fry them in 3 batches until golden in the ¼ cup of olive oil. Use more oil if you need.
  • When the rice and lentils are done, remove from the heat, lift the lid and cover the pot with a clean towel. Put the lid back on and let the pot rest for 10 minutes. Fluff the rice with a fork, Stir in ½ the fried onions. Plate. Mound the remaining onions on top. Sprinkle with fleur de sel and black pepper.
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