Majadra
A Lebanese side dish of lentils, white rice and bay leaves, seasoned with cumin and cinnamon and simmered on the stove.
1 hr 10 min · Serves 8 · Medium
Ingredients
Rice
Lentils
Flavoring
Method
Start cooking mode- Prep 20 min · Cook 50 min · 70 min total
- medium
- 1
Rinse the rice and drain it. Heat the 2 tbs olive oil at the bottom of a cooking pot and add the rice, stirring to coat the grains with oil.
- 2
When rice is transparent, or after a minute or two, add the garlic. Stir half a minute and add salt and then the 3 cups of boiling water.
- 3
Bring it back to a boil, then cover and lower the flame to lowest setting. Cook the rice until the water is evaporated and the rice is tender.
- 4
Set aside the rice. Pick over the lentils and rinse. Simmer them in the water with the bay leaf until they are soft but not mushy, probably 30-40 minutes. You can add more water if they are drying out but need more time to cook. When they are done, drain if there is any leftover water.
- 5
Add salt to flavor the lentils when they are done and remove the bay leaf. Set aside. (You can probably do the rice and lentils mostly at the same time).
- 6
Slice the onions very thin. Caramelize the onions in the 2 tbs olive oil, on a very low flame, until they are soft and golden, not brown and crisp.
- 7
Add the cumin, cinnamon, salt and pepper to the onions. Now combine: fluff the rice with a fork. Add the lentils and stir. Stir in some of the onions and perhaps leave some to go on the top.
Notes and swaps
- Not assessed yet. Check each ingredient if you have an allergy.



