Rice with Lentils and Fried Onions (Mejadra) Recipe
Rice with Lentils and Fried Onions (Mejadra) Recipe: a marvelous Middle Eastern dish that reminds me a bit of our own "Moro". I see myself making this many times to come.
Boiling lentils: Boil the lentils, in enough water to cover it plus an inch [2.5 cm], over high heat for 15 minutes, counting from the time it starts to boil vigorously. Remove from the heat. Separate lentils from the liquid. Set both aside.
Frying onions: Heat the olive oil in a heavy skillet over high heat. Stir in the chopped onion (set aside the onion rings for later use) and continue cooking and stirring until they are cooked through and have a golden-brown color. Season with cumin, turmeric, coriander seeds, cinnamon, salt, and pepper, and mix well.
Cooking rice: Pour in the rice and lentils, and stir, mixing until the grains are coated with oil. Add 3 cups of the liquid in which the lentils boiled (include water if you don't have enough of it). Lower heat to medium-high.Simmer until almost all the liquid has evaporated, stirring often to prevent the rice from sticking to the bottom. Mix in okra and chickpeas.
Simmering: Cover with a tight-fitting lid and lower heat to a minimum.Simmer for 15 minutes. Uncover and stir, the rice should be cooked through but firm. If needed cover and simmer for another 5 minutes.
Frying rings: While the rice simmers, coat the onions you cut into rings with flour and coarse salt.Heat the vegetable oil over high heat. Fry the onions until they turn golden brown. Rest on a paper towel to absorb excess grease.
Serving: Serve the rice warm, garnish with fried onions and cilantro.
Notes
If you want to use brown rice, soak the rice for two hours prior to starting, and drain all water beforehand. You can use this water if you don't have enough from boiling the lentils.