Mujadara — Lentils, Rice & Bronzed Onions

Ingredients

• 1 cup brown or green lentils
• 1 cup rice
• 3 LARGE onions, sliced thin — the dish is secretly about them
• ½ cup olive oil
• 1 tsp cumin + ½ tsp allspice
• Salt
• Yogurt and chopped salad (tomato-cucumber-lemon), to serve

Method

1. Start the onions immediately: fry in the oil over medium, stirring occasionally, 20–25 minutes, through gold into deep bronze with crispy factions. This is the dish's soul; give it your patience.
2. Meanwhile simmer the lentils in water 15 minutes until just tender; add the rice, cumin, allspice, 1½ teaspoons salt, and water to cover by an inch.
3. Cover and cook low 15 minutes until both are tender; rest 5 off-heat.
4. Fold HALF the onions and their oil through the pot.
5. Serve mounded, crowned with the remaining crispy onions, yogurt and sharp salad alongside. A thousand years of Levantine Mondays approve.