Mejadra--rice, lentils and 'fried' onions

Mejadra is a hearty Middle-Eastern dish featuring lentils, basmati rice, and most importantly, fried onions. Rice and lentil dishes are pantry cooking staples, but this dish certainly doubles as cozy comfort food. I first came across this on the menu of a local Middle Eastern fusion restaurant we were ordering from for dinner. Curious, I Googled the recipe, eyed the pantry, and decided to give it a try. 

I started with the recipe in Jerusalem: A Cookbook by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi (shared on Serious Eats). Changes I made:
-Replaced rice with brown Basmati rice; a matter of pantry availability, but I don't mind trading off some of the fluff for the nuttiness of brown rice. 
-another pantry constraint--used ground cumin and coriander vs. using the seeds. 
-soaked the lentils and rice for an hour beforehand; I didn't know how long the lentils had been occupying their venerable shelf spot, so I decided soaking beforehand wouldn't hurt. Who doesn't like a little rehydration?
-used more water and extended the cooking time of the rice; this is simply because the outer bran of brown rice takes more water and time. 
-added some tart pomegranate molasses for depth

The biggest change though was oven-'frying' the onions instead of deep-frying them on stovetop. This was in part so I could get straight to cooking the lentils and rice while the onions were in the oven--a nice time-saver. Of course, this method was also healthier and used only 2 tablespoons rather than 1 cup of oil. These onions turned out so well-caramelized and crisp that I would definitely make them again just to top on anything and everything. 

Overall, the blend of warm spices like cumin, cinnamon and allspice infuses into the tender lentils and nutty Basmati. Fold in the crisp, sweet-savory flavor of the 'fried' onions, then blanket the whole dish with some more for good measure, and it's the perfect dish to keep you warm on a snowy day.  

This dish could be a complete meal in itself but lends itself well to the soft leeks & feta dish we ordered, as well as the beef kofta and hummus. Also pictured above is an order of roasted cauliflower and curry fried chicken. The best of both worlds--supporting local restaurants and making use of ingredients at home. Hope everyone is safe and healthy--physically and emotionally!

|| Mejadra ||

Serves 8

Ingredients

• 1 and 1/4 cup lentils, pre-soaked 1hr
• 2 medium red onions
• 1 and 1/2 Tb. all-purpose flour
• 4 Tb. olive oil, divided
• 1 Tb. sesame oil
• 2 tsp. cumin seeds*
• 1 and 1/2 tsp. coriander seeds*
• 1 cup brown Basmati rice, pre-soaked 1hr
• 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 and 1/2 tsp ground allspice
• 1 and 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 Tb. pomegranate molasses
• 2 and 1/2 cups water
• salt and fresh-ground pepper to taste

* as mentioned, I used ground coriander and cumin but would recommend whole seeds 

Directions

1. Friendly reminder: be sure to pre-soak the lentils and rice 1 hr before you start cooking
2. Start with the onions--preheat oven to 400F. Peel the onions and slice in half lengthwise before slicing thinly. Evenly spread out sliced onions on rimmed sheet pan covered in foil. Sprinkle flour over onions, followed by salt and ground pepper. Drizzle on 2 Tb. of olive oil, then use hands to gently toss onion slices so they are lightly coated in flour. Place in oven for about 30 minutes. Set a timer to start checking after 20 minutes, and every few minutes afterwards (Unfortunately I'm saying this from experience--it doesn't take much time to go from caramelized to charred onions!) When checking, use a heatproof silicone spatula to toss the onion for even browning. When all onions are uniformly brown and crisp, turn off the oven and leave the onions inside until ready for use. (Or leave them out and sample a few while you're waiting for the lentils to cook)
3. Speaking of lentils--place the lentils in small pot and cover with 2" water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling, cooking for another 12-14 minutes. Lentils should be soft but not mushy. Drain and set aside.
4. Place a wide, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat and gently toast the cumin and coriander for about a minute. Add the remaining 2 Tb. of olive oil, 1 Tb. sesame oil, turmeric, cinnamon, allspice, ground black pepper, 1/2 tsp salt and rice. Stir with a spatula to thoroughly coat the rice before adding the lentils and water. Bring to a boil, add half the onions and continue simmering covered over medium heat for about 30 minutes, until rice has softened and water has cooked off. 
5. Turn off heat, place dish towel over pot and cover tightly with pot lid. Let sit undisturbed for 10 minutes (this is to help wick off condensation so the rice can fluff up)
6. Transfer rice & lentils to serving platter and pile on the remaining onion
7. Serve and enjoy!