Ingredients
Lentil Rice Pilaf (Mdardara):
- Large Brown Lentils – 1 cup.
- Basmati (White) Rice – 1.5 cups, rinsed.
- Onion – 1 medium, finely diced.
- Onion – 3 large, cut into wedges.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil – 1-2 tbsp.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil or Vegetable oil – 1/4 cup.
- Cumin – 2-3 tsp.
- Cinnamon – 1 tsp.
- All Spice – 1 tsp.
- Salt – 2 tsp.
- Water – 2 cups for par-boiling the lentils.
- Water – 4 cups.
Cabbage Tomato Salad:
- White Cabbage – 1/2 small, shredded to desired size.
- Tomatoes – 4, chopped.
- Garlic Clove – 1, minced.
- Lemon – 1/2, juiced.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil – drizzle to taste.
- Dried Mint – 1.5 tsp
- Salt – 1/2 tsp.
Instructions
Lentil Rice Pilaf (Mdardara):
- In a medium pot, add the lentils and 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil, lower heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile in a large sauce pan, add 1-2 tbsp of olive oil, diced onion, cumin, cinnamon, all spice, salt and caramelize until golden brown. Should be ready when the lentils are done.
- Drain the lentils and add along with rinsed rice to rice cooker.
- Add one cup of water to the caramelized diced onion to scrape all the bits and spices then pour into the rice cooker.
- Add the remaining 3 cups of water to the rice cooker and mix all the contents well. Turn on rice cooker with the white rice setting. Should take around 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, heat the 1/4 cup of oil in your saucepan and caramelize the onion wedges until golden brown. Drain on paper towels until ready to serve.
- Top your Lentil Rice Pilaf (Mdardara) with the caramelized onion wedges and serve with the Cabbage Tomato Salad. The pilaf can be served warm or cold.
Cabbage Tomato Salad:
- Add all ingredients into a bowl and mix well. Tastes best when served immediately.
Notes
– If you prefer more lentils in your pilaf, you can use equal amounts of rice/lentils.
– If you’re not using a rice cooker, from steps 3-5, add all the ingredients to a large pot instead, bring to a boil, then simmer covered until the water is absorbed. You might need to play around with the measurements of water.
