Caramelized Onion Rice Recipes

MUJADARA (LENTILS AND RICE WITH CARAMELIZED ONIONS)

Steps:

• In a large Dutch oven or soup pot, combine the garlic, bay leaves, cumin, 1 1/2 teaspoons of the salt and about 20 twists of freshly ground black pepper. Add the water and bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat.
• Once boiling, stir in the rice and reduce the heat to medium. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally and adjusting the heat as necessary to maintain a controlled simmer, for 10 minutes.
• Stir in the lentils and let the mixture return to a simmer. Cover again, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook until the liquid is absorbed and the rice and lentils are tender, about 20 to 23 minutes.
• Meanwhile, warm the olive oil in a large (12-inch) skillet over medium-high heat. When it's warm enough that a slice of onion sizzles on contact, add the remaining onions. Stir to combine.
• Stir only every 3 minutes or so at first, then more often once the onions at the edges of the pan start browning. If the onions are browning before they have softened, dial down the heat to give them more time. Cook until the onions are deeply caramelized and starting to crisp at the edges, about 20 to 30 minutes. In the meantime, line a large plate or cutting board with a couple paper towels.
• Using a slotted spoon or fish spatula, transfer the onions to the lined plate and spread them evenly across. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt over the onions. They'll crisp up as they cool.
• When the lentils and rice are done cooking, drain off any excess water (if there is any) and return the mixture to the pot, off the heat. Lay a kitchen towel across the top of the pot to absorb steam, then cover the pot and let it rest for 10 minutes.
• Remove the lid, discard the bay leaves, and smash the garlic cloves against the side of the pan with a fork. Add about 3/4ths of the green onions and cilantro, reserving the rest for garnish. Gently stir and fluff the rice with a fork. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper, if necessary.
• Transfer the rice and lentil mixture to a large serving platter or bowl. Top with the caramelized onions and the remaining green onions and cilantro. Serve hot, warm or at room temperature, with yogurt and spicy sauce (optional) on the side.

CHICKEN WITH CARAMELIZED ONION AND CARDAMOM RICE

Steps:

• Put the sugar and scant 3 tablespoons water in a small saucepan and heat until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat, add the barberries, and set aside to soak. If using currants, you do not need to soak them in this way.
• Meanwhile, heat half the olive oil in a large sauté pan for which you have a lid over medium heat. Add the onion, and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion has turned a deep golden brown. Transfer the onion to a small bowl and wipe the pan clean.
• Place the chicken in a large mixing bowl and season with 1½ teaspoons each salt and black pepper. Add the remaining olive oil, cardamom, cloves and cinnamon and use your hands to mix everything together well. Heat the frying pan again and place the chicken and spices in it. Sear chicken for 5 minutes on each side and remove from the pan (this is important as it part-cooks the chicken). The spices can stay in the pan, but don't worry if they stick to the chicken. Remove most of the remaining oil as well, leaving just a thin film at the bottom. Add the rice, caramelized onion, 1 teaspoon salt and plenty of black pepper. Drain the barberries and add them as well. Stir well and return the seared chicken to the pan, pushing it into the rice.
• Pour the boiling water over the rice and chicken, cover the pan, and cook over very low heat for 30 minutes. Take the pan off the heat, remove the lid, quickly place a clean tea towel over the pan, and seal again with the lid. Leave the dish undisturbed for another 10 minutes. Finally, add the herbs and use a fork to stir them in and fluff up the rice. Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed. Serve hot or warm with yogurt mixture if you like.

LENTILS AND RICE WITH CARAMELIZED ONIONS RECIPE BY TASTY

Steps:

• In a large pot, sauté the diced red onion and minced garlic in 1 tablespoon of olive oil until translucent, about 5 minutes.
• Add the water, green lentils, and salt to the large pot. Bring to a boil.
• Cover with lid and simmer for 10 minutes.
• To make the caramelized onions, heat a tablespoon of olive oil over low heat and add the onion slices, stirring occasionally until completely soft, dark brown, and caramelized.
• NOTE: This will take about 30 minutes. The onions should become very dark and tacky when finished. Stir often to avoid burning.
• Add the rice, cumin, cinnamon, and bayleaf to the lentils. Stir.
• Cook covered for about 15 minutes, or until rice is cooked.
• Serve lentils and rice topped with the caramelized onions, chopped fresh parsley, lemon wedges, and Greek yogurt if desired.
• Enjoy!

CARAMELIZED ONION RICE

Steps:

• Heat extra virgin olive oil in a pot on medium/high heat. Add diced onions and stir. Cover and let them cook for 1-2 minutes, stir, and cover and let them cook for another 1-2 minutes, just until they turn brown.
• Add rice, garlic oil, basil oil, and salt and pepper and stir until well combined.
• Add chicken broth, stir, bring to a boil (should be fairly quick), cover, turn down to low and let simmer for 15 minutes.
• Turn burner off and let rest for 5-10 minutes without taking the lid off. When done, stir/fluff and serve.

CARAMELIZED ONION RICE

Steps:

• Melt butter in skillet and sauté onions until softened and lightly browned. Add garlic, sauté 1 minute.
• Add brown sugar and sauté until caramelized-looking, 3-4 minutes.
• Mix rice, broth and onion mixture and cook in rice cooker.
• Note: I like my rice slightly crunchy and not soggy so if you like yours softer add 1/4- 1/2 cup of extra broth.

CARAMELIZED ONIONS AND LENTIL RICE

Steps:

• Melt the butter with the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the onions, sugar, and some salt and pepper. Cook until the onions become deep brown and sticky, about 20 minutes, stirring every 4 or 5 minutes (if the onions color too quickly, reduce the heat to medium-low).
• While the onions caramelize, make the rice. Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Add the rice and stir, cooking it until the grains begin to turn opaque, about 2 minutes. Add the water, lentils, and cumin; season with salt and pepper. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook until the rice is tender and has absorbed all of the liquid, about 20 minutes. Serve topped with the caramelized onions.

LEBANESE LENTILS, RICE AND CARAMELIZED ONIONS (MUJADARA)

Steps:

• Throw the lentils into a medium saucepan. Fill with enough cold water to cover the lentils by about an inch. Bring it to a boil over medium-high heat, then turn down to a simmer and cook until the lentils are tender but not mushy, about 20 minutes. Drain and set aside.
• Meanwhile, as the lentils cook, grab a large skillet. Pop it over medium-high heat and add the oil. Allow the oil to warm for a minute, then drop in the cumin seeds and cracked peppercorns and cook, shaking the pan once in a while until the cumin seeds darken a touch, about 1 minute.
• Add the onions, sprinkle with a dash of salt and cook until they turn dark caramel brown, stirring often. This will take about 15 minutes. Splash the onions with a little water if they stick to the bottom of the pan. You'll know they're done both by their deep chestnut color and by the slight crispiness developing on some of the onions.
• Using a slotted spoon or spatula, remove about half of the onions to a paper towel-lined plate; these are for garnish later. Sprinkle in the ground cumin, cayenne and then add the cinnamon stick; saute about 1 minute.
• Add the rice and cook, stirring often (but gently so you don't break the rice!) until some rice grains start to brown. Quickly, add the cooked lentils, 3 cups of water and 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt; bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to low so that the pan is at a simmer, cover and cook 30 minutes. The water should be completely evaporated and rice should be tender. (If there's still too much water in the bottom, put the lid back on and cook for another 5 minutes.)
• Turn off the heat, keep the lid on, and allow the rice to steam undisturbed for about 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, toast the pine nuts, if using, in a small skillet over medium-low heat, shaking often, about 5 minutes.
• Taste the rice for seasoning. Serve with the reserved caramelized onions, toasted pine nuts, if using, and a little squeeze of lemon juice. I also like to serve this with some dollops of Greek yogurt.