This is a dish from the Levant (which, it seems, is a place) via Yotam Ottolenghi. This dish is a faff to make, but it's very tasty, and a good staple for vegetarian dinner guests. The result is filling, and could be a course on its own, but if you choose to have it as a side dish, make sure it's accompanying something with a strong enough flavour to hold its own. By itself, this dish is fairly dry, so you need to serve it with a dollop of Greek yoghurt or creme fraiche.
Ingredients
- 250ml of sunflower or other cooking oil.
- 4 onions
- 250g of brown or green lentils
- 2 teaspoonfuls of cumin seeds
- 1 and a half tablespoonfuls of coriander seeds
- 200g of rice (I used brown rice)
- Half a teaspoonful of ground turmeric
- 1 and a half teaspoonsfuls of ground allspice
- 1 and a half teaspoonsfuls of ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoonsful of sugar
- Salt and pepper
- 350ml of water
Method
- Peel the onions and slice thinly.
- Put the lentils into a saucepan and cover with water. Bring to the boil and simmer for 12 to 15 minutes, until they're softened, but still have bite. Drain them through a colander and set aside.
- Meanwhile(!) put the oil in a wok and heat over a high heat.
- Add a third of the onions to the oil, and fry for five to seven minutes until brown and crispy. Stir now and again with a slotted spoon. Once they're done, put them into another colander or a sieve or something, and sprinkle with salt.
- Cook the next third of the onions in the same way, sprinkling with salt afterwards, and then the final third.
- Now (carefully!) drain off the remaining oil into a little bowl, and wipe out the wok.
- OK, that's the hard part done. Place the wok over a medium heat and add the cumin and coriander seeds. Toast them for a minute or two, to release their aromas.
- Add the rice, the ground spices, sugar, and two tablespoonsful of the oil you drained off.
- Season with salt and pepper to your taste and mix it all together.
- Add the cooked lentils and then the 350ml of water. Bring to the boil, put the lid on and then simmer on a low heat for 15 minutes.
- Remove from the heat, lift the lid and cover with a clean tea towel. Put the lid back on and leave for ten minutes. I've no idea why.
- Tip the rice and lentil mix into a bowl and mix in half of the fried onions. Pile the rest of the onions on top.
