brown rice mujadara — Honey Street

you know when you find yourself in the middle of marrakech at a lebanese restaurant sipping on chilled white wine, spooning shawarma and pickled radishes onto a hummus-lathered pita and then turn and realize a warm bowl of mujadara with perfectly crispy caramelized onions was just slid onto the table on a surprise trip to morocco and you have to actually stop yourself from gasping and slap yourself awake because it MUST be the ultimate dream?

ok maybe not same same but we’ve all had our mujadara-in-morocco moments, right? except mine really did happen and once i came home i had to recreate it over and over even though the sky in minnesota will be gray until april and my studio apartment isn’t quiiiiite that ~ vibe ~.

mujadara is really just lentils, rice, and onions with yogurt and parsley on top if you’re feeling jazzy (you are.) it’s a warm, onion-y, hug in a bowl and i could get even more carried away talking about why i love it so let’s cut it while i have some remaining composure.

brown rice mujadara
prep time: 5 minutes
cook time: 30 minutes

2c green lentils (they have to be the green ones otherwise you will have sad mush)
1c brown rice (can sub white or basmati)
2 onions, 1 1/2 chopped, 1/2 sliced
2tsp cumin
2tsp salt
2tsp black pepper
5 1/2c water
2tbsp olive oil
plain yogurt *optional
parsley *optional

in a large pot, boil the water. once boiling, add the lentils and cumin, and give it a stir before placing a lid on the pot. lower the heat to a simmer, and cook the lentils for 15 minutes. after 15 minutes, add the rice the same pot, place the lid back on, and simmer for another 15-20 minutes or until all the water is absorbed and lentils and rice are cooked through.

meanwhile, heat 1tbsp of olive oil over medium-high heat. cook the chopped onions until the edges are crisped, stirring minimally so that they char, about 20 minutes. remove the charred onions and set aside. then, pour the remaining oil in the skillet and add the sliced onion. turn the heat to medium-low, and let the onions do their thing until they caramelize. watch the heat as needed so they don’t absorb the oil too quickly.

stir the charred onions into the lentil mixture, and season with salt and pepper. top with yogurt, fresh parsley, and the caramelized onions.