Rice With Lentils And Dates Recipes

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!

RICE WITH LENTILS AND DATES

Steps:

• wash and drain rice.
• heat 2 T butter and fry the onion till golden; add the meat and sauté stirring and turning the pieces till browned all over. Cover with water, add salt and pepper, cinnamon and allspice and simmer for 1 hour; or till meat is tender and most of water absorbed.
• boil the lentils in water for about 20 minutes till done, adding salt when they begin to soften, drain.
• now boil the rice in a pan for 10 minutes till not quite tender and still a little underdone. Drain the rice.
• Melt 2 T butter in bottom of pan, then stir in 2 T of the saffron water and about a third of the rice.
• spread half the meat on top, then sprinkle on half the lentils, raisins, dates and almonds if using.
• Cover with a layer of rice and remaining meat, lentils, raisins and dates and finish with the rice that is left.
• Melt the remaining butter, stir in the remaining saffron water and pour all over. Cook covered on very low heat for 20-30 minutes.

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.

ADAS POLOW (PERSIAN RICE AND LENTILS)

Steps:

• Place the rice in a bowl, and cover with water. Soak the rice for about 3 hours, and drain off the water. Bring the rice, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 4 cups water to a boil in a saucepan. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the rice is partially cooked, about 10 minutes. Drain the liquid from the rice, and set the rice aside.
• Bring 2 more cups of water and a pinch of salt to a boil in a saucepan, and stir in the lentils. Bring to a boil, and cook over medium heat until tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from heat.
• Heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat, and fry the onions, stirring frequently, until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Set the onions aside. Dissolve the saffron in 1/3 cup of hot water, and set aside.
• In a large nonstick pot with deep sides, heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil until shimmering, and spoon in half the rice to cover the bottom of the pot. Top the rice with the lentils, and cover the lentils with the remaining rice. Reduce heat to low, cover the pot, and cook until the rice is completely tender and there is a golden brown, crusty layer of rice on the bottom of the pot, about 20 minutes. Pour the saffron water over the rice and lentils, cover, and allow to cook until absorbed, about 10 more minutes.
• To serve, spoon the polow into a serving dish, and peel off and place pieces of the crusty rice layer on top of the polow. Decorate the polow with dates, raisins, and fried onions.