From the depths of culinary traditions, lentils and rice with caramelized onions emerge as a delectable union of flavors. This hearty and versatile dish embarks on a culinary journey, captivating taste buds with its blend of earthy lentils, fluffy rice, and the sweet, savory embrace of caramelized onions. As a symphony of textures and aromas, this culinary creation promises a delightful experience, whether served as a main course or a comforting side dish. Delve into the secrets of this timeless recipe, and discover the art of crafting a harmonious balance between lentils, rice, and caramelized onions, transforming simple ingredients into a masterpiece of flavors.
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MUJADARA (LENTILS AND RICE WITH CARAMELIZED ONIONS)
Mujadara is a classic Arabic recipe featuring cooked lentils and rice, caramelized onions, herbs and yogurt. It's a delicious vegetarian main dish! This version calls for brown rice instead of white (if you want to use white, see recipe notes). Recipe yields 4 generous servings.
Provided by Cookie and Kate
Categories Main Dish
Time 1h
Number Of Ingredients 14
Steps:
- In a large Dutch oven or soup pot, combine the garlic, bay leaves, cumin, 1 1/2 teaspoons of the salt and about 20 twists of freshly ground black pepper. Add the water and bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Once boiling, stir in the rice and reduce the heat to medium. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally and adjusting the heat as necessary to maintain a controlled simmer, for 10 minutes.
- Stir in the lentils and let the mixture return to a simmer. Cover again, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook until the liquid is absorbed and the rice and lentils are tender, about 20 to 23 minutes.
- Meanwhile, warm the olive oil in a large (12-inch) skillet over medium-high heat. When it's warm enough that a slice of onion sizzles on contact, add the remaining onions. Stir to combine.
- Stir only every 3 minutes or so at first, then more often once the onions at the edges of the pan start browning. If the onions are browning before they have softened, dial down the heat to give them more time. Cook until the onions are deeply caramelized and starting to crisp at the edges, about 20 to 30 minutes. In the meantime, line a large plate or cutting board with a couple paper towels.
- Using a slotted spoon or fish spatula, transfer the onions to the lined plate and spread them evenly across. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt over the onions. They'll crisp up as they cool.
- When the lentils and rice are done cooking, drain off any excess water (if there is any) and return the mixture to the pot, off the heat. Lay a kitchen towel across the top of the pot to absorb steam, then cover the pot and let it rest for 10 minutes.
- Remove the lid, discard the bay leaves, and smash the garlic cloves against the side of the pan with a fork. Add about 3/4ths of the green onions and cilantro, reserving the rest for garnish. Gently stir and fluff the rice with a fork. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper, if necessary.
- Transfer the rice and lentil mixture to a large serving platter or bowl. Top with the caramelized onions and the remaining green onions and cilantro. Serve hot, warm or at room temperature, with yogurt and spicy sauce (optional) on the side.
Nutrition Facts : ServingSize 1 generous serving, without yogurt or hot sauce, Calories 471 calories, Sugar 4.7 g, Sodium 936.3 mg, Fat 16.3 g, SaturatedFat 2.1 g, TransFat 0 g, Carbohydrate 70.5 g, Fiber 8.5 g, Protein 16.9 g, Cholesterol 0 mg
LENTILS AND RICE WITH CARAMELIZED ONIONS RECIPE BY TASTY
Here's what you need: medium red onion, olive oil, water, medium red onion, garlic, olive oil, green lentil, long grain rice, salt, cumin, cinnamon, bay leaf, fresh parsley, lemon, greek yogurt
Provided by Andrew Ilnyckyj
Categories Dinner
Yield 4 servings
Number Of Ingredients 15
Steps:
- In a large pot, sauté the diced red onion and minced garlic in 1 tablespoon of olive oil until translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Add the water, green lentils, and salt to the large pot. Bring to a boil.
- Cover with lid and simmer for 10 minutes.
- To make the caramelized onions, heat a tablespoon of olive oil over low heat and add the onion slices, stirring occasionally until completely soft, dark brown, and caramelized.
- NOTE: This will take about 30 minutes. The onions should become very dark and tacky when finished. Stir often to avoid burning.
- Add the rice, cumin, cinnamon, and bayleaf to the lentils. Stir.
- Cook covered for about 15 minutes, or until rice is cooked.
- Serve lentils and rice topped with the caramelized onions, chopped fresh parsley, lemon wedges, and Greek yogurt if desired.
- Enjoy!
Nutrition Facts : Calories 473 calories, Carbohydrate 82 grams, Fat 8 grams, Fiber 7 grams, Protein 20 grams, Sugar 8 grams
LENTILS AND RICE WITH CARAMELIZED ONIONS
Steps:
- Put the onions in a large skillet with a lid and turn the heat to medium. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are dry and almost sticking to the pan, about 20 minutes. Add the oil and a large pinch of salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions brown, another 10 to 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, put the lentils in a 4-quart or other medium saucepan and add 1 quart water; turn the heat to medium-high, then cover and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 20 minutes. Turn off the heat if the lentils become tender before the onions are done.
- Coarsely chop half the onions, making just a few passes with a knife. Add these and the rice to the lentils and stir. Continue cooking until both the rice and lentils are tender and all the water is absorbed, another 15 minutes or so. If the mixture begins to dry out before it is completely cooked, add another 1/2 cup water, repeating as necessary. When the mixture is done, taste and adjust the seasoning; keep warm over low heat.
- Meanwhile, continue to cook the onions left in the skillet over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until they are a dark brown and threatening to burn, about 15 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
- Garnish the rice and lentils with the caramelized onions and serve.
LEBANESE RICE AND LENTILS WITH CARAMELIZED ONIONS
Provided by Food Network
Time 1h5m
Yield 8 servings
Number Of Ingredients 7
Steps:
- Bring the lentils to a boil in the water and simmer, skimming, about 25 minutes, or until nearly tender. Drain the lentils, reserving 1 1/2 cups of cooking liquid. Add more liquid if necessary to make 1 1/2 cups.
- Cook the onions in the olive oil for about 5 minutes. Then remove 1 1/2 cups of the onions and cook the rest until they caramelize and begin to get crisp, about 5 to 7 minutes more. Drain the caramelized onions on paper towels.
- Add to the saucepan the cooked lentils, the reserved liquid, the softened onions, and the basmati rice, salt and allspice. Cook over low heat, covered, until rice is tender, about 20 minutes. Top with caramelized onions.
- Recommended drink: Arak
LEBANESE LENTILS, RICE AND CARAMELIZED ONIONS (MUJADARA)
Provided by Aarti Sequeira
Time 1h25m
Yield 6 servings
Number Of Ingredients 13
Steps:
- Throw the lentils into a medium saucepan. Fill with enough cold water to cover the lentils by about an inch. Bring it to a boil over medium-high heat, then turn down to a simmer and cook until the lentils are tender but not mushy, about 20 minutes. Drain and set aside.
- Meanwhile, as the lentils cook, grab a large skillet. Pop it over medium-high heat and add the oil. Allow the oil to warm for a minute, then drop in the cumin seeds and cracked peppercorns and cook, shaking the pan once in a while until the cumin seeds darken a touch, about 1 minute.
- Add the onions, sprinkle with a dash of salt and cook until they turn dark caramel brown, stirring often. This will take about 15 minutes. Splash the onions with a little water if they stick to the bottom of the pan. You'll know they're done both by their deep chestnut color and by the slight crispiness developing on some of the onions.
- Using a slotted spoon or spatula, remove about half of the onions to a paper towel-lined plate; these are for garnish later. Sprinkle in the ground cumin, cayenne and then add the cinnamon stick; saute about 1 minute.
- Add the rice and cook, stirring often (but gently so you don't break the rice!) until some rice grains start to brown. Quickly, add the cooked lentils, 3 cups of water and 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt; bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to low so that the pan is at a simmer, cover and cook 30 minutes. The water should be completely evaporated and rice should be tender. (If there's still too much water in the bottom, put the lid back on and cook for another 5 minutes.)
- Turn off the heat, keep the lid on, and allow the rice to steam undisturbed for about 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, toast the pine nuts, if using, in a small skillet over medium-low heat, shaking often, about 5 minutes.
- Taste the rice for seasoning. Serve with the reserved caramelized onions, toasted pine nuts, if using, and a little squeeze of lemon juice. I also like to serve this with some dollops of Greek yogurt.
LENTILS AND RICE WITH CARAMELIZED ONIONS
This can be served either warm or room temperature as an appetizer (good with toasted pita chips), or as a side to chicken. As suggested by some reviewers, add cumin and allspice to taste, if desired!
Provided by Outta Here
Categories Long Grain Rice
Time 1h15m
Yield 12 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 8
Steps:
- Peel and slice onions vertically.
- Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat.
- Add onion; cover and cook 15 minutes or until soft, stirring occasionally.
- Uncover and increase heat to medium; cook 25 minutes or until golden brown, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to low and keep onions warm.
- While onion cooks, bring water to a boil in a large saucepan.
- Add lentils; return to a boil and reduce heat to keep at a low boil and cook 20 minutes.
- Stir in 1/2 cup caramelized onion, rice, salt, and pepper. Cover, and cook over medium-low heat for 25 minutes, until lentils and rice are tender.
- Spoon lentils and rice into a shallow dish; top with remaining onion.
- Drizzle remaining oil over lentils. Serve with yogurt, if desired.
LENTILS AND RICE WITH FRIED ONIONS (MUJADARRAH)
This may sound like a plain recipe, but believe me, it's wonderful! It is an easy-to-make Middle Eastern comfort food that combines lentils, rice and delicious fried onions. The yogurt really gives it a super flavor!
Provided by Melissa Mueller
Categories Main Dish Recipes Rice Beans and Rice Recipes
Time 50m
Yield 4
Number Of Ingredients 6
Steps:
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in the onions, and cook about 10 minutes, until browned. Remove from heat, and set aside.
- Place lentils in a medium saucepan with enough lightly salted water to cover. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer about 15 minutes.
- Stir rice and enough water to cover into the saucepan with the lentils. Season with salt and pepper. Cover saucepan, and continue to simmer 15 to 20 minutes, until rice and lentils are tender.
- Mix half the onions into the lentil mixture. Top with yogurt or sour cream and remaining onions to serve.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 534.8 calories, Carbohydrate 69.1 g, Cholesterol 0.9 mg, Fat 22.1 g, Fiber 10.6 g, Protein 17.3 g, SaturatedFat 3 g, Sodium 311.9 mg, Sugar 4.1 g
SPICED BASMATI RICE WITH LENTILS AND CARAMELIZED ONIONS
Categories Onion Rice Side Bake Sauté Vegetarian Diwali Spice Lentil Bon Appétit Pescatarian Wheat/Gluten-Free Peanut Free Tree Nut Free Soy Free No Sugar Added Kosher
Yield Serves 4
Number Of Ingredients 10
Steps:
- Melt butter in 10-inch-diameter oven-proof nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Add onions and stir 1 minute. Cover and cook until onions are tender, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. Uncover and sauté until onions are deep golden, about 5 minutes longer. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from heat. Spread onions in even layer in same skillet; set aside.
- Meanwhile, cook lentils in pot of boiling water until almost tender but still firm to bite, about 20 minutes. Drain.
- Combine 2 1/2 cups water, cardamom, allspice, bay leaf and salt in heavy medium saucepan; bring to boil. Add rice and lentils; bring to boil. Reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer until rice is tender and water is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Discard cardamom, allspice and bay leaf.
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Spoon rice mixture atop onions in skillet, pressing with back of spoon to compact rice; smooth top. (Can be made 2 hours ahead. Cool. Cover and let stand at room temperature.)
- Cover skillet tightly with double layer of foil. Bake rice mixture until heated through, about 35 minutes. Remove foil; let stand 5 minutes. Place plate over skillet; invert skillet, releasing rice and onions onto plate and scraping any onions remaining in skillet onto rice. Spoon rice and onions onto plates and serve.
Tips:
- Use a variety of lentils. This will give your dish a more complex flavor and texture.
- Rinse the lentils before cooking. This will help to remove any dirt or debris.
- Soak the lentils for at least 30 minutes before cooking. This will help to reduce the cooking time.
- Use a good quality stock. This will add a lot of flavor to your dish.
- Don't overcook the lentils. They should be tender but still have a slight bite to them.
- Caramelize the onions slowly and patiently. This will develop their sweetness and flavor.
- Add the lentils and rice to the onions once they are caramelized. This will help to evenly distribute the flavor.
- Cook the lentils and rice according to the package directions.
- Season the dish to taste. You may want to add salt, pepper, or other spices.
- Garnish the dish with fresh herbs or a dollop of yogurt.
Conclusion:
Lentils and rice with caramelized onions is a delicious and healthy dish that is perfect for a weeknight meal. It is easy to make and can be tailored to your own taste. With its combination of protein, fiber, and flavor, this dish is sure to be a hit with your family and friends.
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