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PdfJust about every country and region of the Middle East has its own lentil and rice recipe. It is fantastic comfort food – sweet and earthy, and topped with heaps of caramelised onions. It is a great home-cooked favourite in Lebanese and Syrian families, and is often eaten with a lemony salad, such as fattoush.
Serves 4-6
80ml olive oil
1 medium brown onion, finely diced
litres water
185g brown lentils
80g long-grain rice, washed well and drained
½ tsp cumin
2 medium onions, sliced
1 Heat half the oil in a pan and fry the diced onion until it turns soft. Add the lentils and half the water, bring to the boil, then turn the heat down, cover and simmer for 15 minutes, or until the lentils are just cooked. Add the rice, mix well and cook for 15 minutes, stirring every now and then, and gradually adding more of the water as it is absorbed.
2 The dish is ready when lentils have broken down almost to a puree and the rice grains have swelled and almost burst – in fact, it looks rather like a khaki brown porridge.
3 Add the cumin and stir well. Heat the remaining oil and cook the sliced onions over a low to medium heat for 5–8 minutes until they have caramelised. Serve at room temperature, garnished with the onions.
Adapted from Arabesque by Greg and Lucy Malouf (Hardie Grant)