Majadra

Total Time: 1 hr 10 mins Preparation Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 50 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 8
• 1 1/2 cups rice
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 cups water, boiling
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 3/4 cup brown lentils
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 cups water
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 onions
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• salt, pepper to taste

Recipe

• 1 rinse the rice and drain it.
• 2 heat the 2 tbs olive oil at the bottom of a cooking pot and add the rice, stirring to coat the grains with oil.
• 3 when rice is transparent, or after a minute or two, add the garlic. stir half a minute and add salt and then the 3 cups of boiling water.
• 4 bring it back to a boil, then cover and lower the flame to lowest setting. cook the rice until the water is evaporated and the rice is tender.
• 5 set aside the rice.
• 6 pick over the lentils and rinse. simmer them in the water with the bay leaf until they are soft but not mushy, probably 30-40 minutes. you can add more water if they are drying out but need more time to cook. when they are done, drain if there is any leftover water.
• 7 add salt to flavor the lentils when they are done and remove the bay leaf. set aside. (you can probably do the rice and lentils mostly at the same time).
• 8 slice the onions very thin.
• 9 caramelize the onions in the 2 tbs olive oil, on a very low flame, until they are soft and golden, not brown and crisp.
• 10 add the cumin, cinnamon, salt and pepper to the onions.
• 11 now combine: fluff the rice with a fork. add the lentils and stir. stir in some of the onions and perhaps leave some to go on the top.