Ottolenghi's Mejadra Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the Ottolenghi rice and lentil dish? ›

Mejadra is an Arab comfort food that is widely eaten throughout the Middle East. It is a pilaf style rice dish that incorporates lentils and wonderful warming spices such as allspice, turmeric and cinnamon.

Middle Eastern Rice (Mejadra) Mejadra is a fragrant Middle Eastern rice pilaf with crunchy fried onion throughout it. This is slightly adapted from a Yotam Ottolenghi recipe, from his wonderful cookbook Jerusalem.

Lentils are a nutritional powerhouse, because apart from being high in protein and fibre while being low in fat, they are also essential for weight loss, heart health, low cholesterol and many other nutritional benefits.

Mujaddara is the Arabic word for "pockmarked"; the lentils among the rice resemble pockmarks. The first recorded recipe for mujaddara appears in Kitab al-Tabikh, a cookbook compiled in 1226 by al-Baghdadi in Iraq. Containing rice, lentils, and meat, it was served this way during celebrations.

From this, Ottolenghi has developed a style of food which is rooted in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean traditions, but which also draws in diverse influences and ingredients from around the world.

Some of the recipes are fairly straightforward but he does have a reputation for including some hard to get ingredients and some recipes can be very involved. I really enjoy his recipes and find they are very tasty.

What country does Mujadara come from? Lentils and rice are staple foods throughout the Middle East and the Arab world. The first written recipe for Mujaddara was found in an Iraqi cookbook called Kitab al-Tabikh and written in 1226.

But if meat is still on the table for you, pair lentils with fats like duck and pork (think bacon) to add a bit of richness to this mild-flavored legume. Whether you're trying a meatless meal or making a hearty stew, lentils are a go-to pantry staple that deserve to come out of the pantry to shine this winter.

You can think of Koshari as the older, more elaborate cousin of Mujaddara. Mujaddara is a Levantine dish that also has a base of lentils and rice, but it stops there. Egyptian Koshari has more components with the pasta, chickpeas, tomato sauce and vinegar sauce.

What ethnic group eats lentils? ›

Lentil dishes are most widespread throughout South Asia, the Mediterranean regions, West Asia, and Latin America. In the Indian subcontinent, Fiji, Mauritius, Singapore and the Caribbean, lentil curry is part of the everyday diet, eaten with both rice and roti.

The origin of mujadara is often attributed to Lebanon, but the first Mujadara recipe actually appeared in an Iraqi cookbook in 1226 (I believe it's mostly attributed to Lebanon because Lebanese food has become synonymous with Arabic food in the United States).

Note: Lentils may be canned without any additional ingredients. Soak as above using 3 1/4 lbs lentils; pack loosely into jars and cover with water, adding 1/2 tsp. salt to each jar (optional). Process in a pressure canner for 75 minutes.

Fill a large pot with 2 cups (450 milliliters) of water and add a few extra tablespoons of water. Using more water than you actually need will help make the ricer stickier and clumpier. Consider adding a dash of salt. This will give the rice some flavor and make it taste less bland.

For such a simple dish, this lebanese lentils and rice packs a punch of health benefits, like a whopping 14 grams of protein, and is also an excellent source of fiber.

After one minute, add the lentils and a cup of milk at the same time and mix. Add water to the mixture is too think and wait for it to cook for about two and a half minutes. Introduce the peanut powder, and stir as you add salt to taste. Cover the food to let it cook for five minutes before turning off the heat.