Mujadarra

This is a fantastic lentil dish. In my quest to find healthier food that my family liked and would actually eat, I decided to try this recipe. It was demonstrated on T.V. by Ali Sabbah from the Mazza Cafe, a Jewish restaurant, in Salt Lake City. My family just ate this up, even my picky five year old boy. I had to post it before I lost the recipe.

• Ready In: 45 mins
• Serves: 4-8
• Yields: 6 cups

Ingredients

• 3  large onions, sliced to thick 1/2 inch rounds
• 3⁄4 cup olive oil
• 1 1⁄2 cups lentils, washed and drained
• 1  cup long grain rice
• 3  garlic cloves, crushed
• 4 1⁄2 cups water

• Seasonings mix

• 2  teaspoons kosher salt
• 1⁄2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1  teaspoon black pepper
• 1  teaspoon paprika
• 1  teaspoon allspice
• 1⁄2 teaspoon ground cumin

Directions

1. Mix the seasoning ingredients together.(salt, cinnamon,black pepper, paprika, all-spice,cumin)Set aside.
2. In a heavy pot, fry the onions on med-high heat, stirring occasionally, until golden brown. (Do not skip this step, it adds greatly to the flavor, you can however, cut out some of the olive oil, but I wouldn't cut out more than half.).
3. Remove onions with a slotted spoon, and set them aside, leaving the oil in the pot.
4. Reduce heat to medium, add the garlic and seasoning mixture. Stir for 2 minutes. Do not burn the garlic.
5. Add the water and bring it to a boil, then add the lentils, stir gently and let simmer for 5 minutes.
6. Add the rice, reduce the heat to low, cover and cook for 20 minutes.
7. Remove from the heat let sit for five minutes,remove the lid and stir in the onions.
8. Serve and enjoy!