Salutations, gentlefolk,

Has anyone tried cooking lentils and rice together ?
In a rice cooker ? On the stove ?
Timing ? Proportions of liquid to solids ?

Thanks for your help with this.

Yours, John Desmond

wrote:
>
> Has anyone tried cooking lentils and rice together ?
> In a rice cooker ? On the stove ?
> Timing ? Proportions of liquid to solids ?

Check out mejeddarah (mujaddara, megadarra, moudardarah, etc.,
transliteration varies). The dish is also known as Potage Esau,
for which Esau supposedly sold his birthright. The dish is
supposed to be cooked with no rice, just with lentils or with an
addition of bulgur, as rice was unknown in the Middle East in
the biblical times, but nowadays it is often made with rice. A
somewhat similar dish in India is known as khichri. Proportions
of ingredients vary according to individual preferences, as do
cooking times, which depend on the texture one prefers. The
dish can also be made in a pressure cooker. Here is a typical
recipe from
<http://www.cookingwiththebible.com/reader/Default.aspx/GR3410-306/recipe/>
If sumac is unavailable, I'd replace it with cumin.


Mejeddarah (Lentils with Rice)

2 cups lentils (about 1 lb.)
8 cups water
2 large Spanish onions, chopped
1/2 cup olive oil, plus a splash
2 Tbsp. sumac
1 cup brown (or white) rice, uncooked
salt and pepper to taste

Sort through the lentils to remove any small stones that might
have gotten mixed in during the drying process. Wash thoroughly,
and drain in a colander. Place lentils in a large pot with the
water and bring to a boil; lower the heat and continue to cook
for about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, saute the onions in the olive oil and sumac until
they begin to caramelize. Add uncooked rice, onions, and pan
residue to the lentils. Continue cooking about 45 minutes until
lentils are barely mushy, stirring occasionally. Season to taste.

Serve hot or cold.

Yield: 8 servings


--
Victor

This is a fantastic dish! I was introduced to Mujadarah last year by
the people who run the corner grocery store when he expanded his deli
selection to include some ethnic foods from their country of Jordan.
He makes it with cumin, but I can eat it for lunch two days in a row
anyway. There are many different recipes for it on the net, but I
haven't tried any. I should, looks easy enough.

`````````````````````````

On 15 Aug 2008 04:23:29 -0700, Victor Sack >
wrote:

> Mejeddarah (Lentils with Rice)
>
>2 cups lentils (about 1 lb.)
>8 cups water
>2 large Spanish onions, chopped
>1/2 cup olive oil, plus a splash
>2 Tbsp. sumac
>1 cup brown (or white) rice, uncooked
>salt and pepper to taste
>
>Sort through the lentils to remove any small stones that might
>have gotten mixed in during the drying process. Wash thoroughly,
>and drain in a colander. Place lentils in a large pot with the
>water and bring to a boil; lower the heat and continue to cook
>for about 15 minutes.
>
>Meanwhile, saute the onions in the olive oil and sumac until
>they begin to caramelize. Add uncooked rice, onions, and pan
>residue to the lentils. Continue cooking about 45 minutes until
>lentils are barely mushy, stirring occasionally. Season to taste.
>
>Serve hot or cold.
>
>Yield: 8 servings



--
I never worry about diets. The only carrots that interest me are the number of carats in a diamond.

Mae West

On Aug 15, 3:20*am, wrote:
> Salutations, gentlefolk,
>
> Has anyone tried cooking lentils and rice together ? *
> *In a rice cooker ? *On the stove ? *
> *Timing ? *Proportions of liquid to solids ?
>
Lentils take longer to cook than rice so I prefer recipes for
mujaradah that call for pre-cooking the lentils before mixing with
rice and finishing. I have only made it in a pot on the stove but I
can't think why a rice cooker wouldn't work after the pre-cooking of
the lentils. So my version would be: Cook 1 cup red/brown lentils in
plenty of water for about 20 minutes, drain. Mix the lentils with 1.5
cups long grain rice and add 3 cups cold water. Bring to boil, reduce
to simmer, cover, cook until lentils are very tender, about 30
minutes. Meanwhile, slowly cook sliced onions with a little salt in
butter and olive oil until nicely caramelized. Top lentils and rice
with onions. -aem

jaf wrote:
>
> Has anyone tried cooking lentils and rice together ? �

Why would anyone want to... doesn't seem like a very good
combination... but if you insist how difficult is it to give it a go.

It seems to me someone would at least try this in private *before*
searching for concurrance with other TIADers.

> wrote in message

> Has anyone tried cooking lentils and rice together ?
> In a rice cooker ? On the stove ?
> Timing ? Proportions of liquid to solids ?
>
> Thanks for your help with this.
>

Hi John! I see others showed you how to make it on the stove. If you plan
to do it completely in a rice cooker though, you'd need to precook the
lentils. Yes, it can be done but you'd work it in 2 series.

First run is just the lentils and water. I dont make lentils often except
as a component in a variety crockpot soup/stew so dont know offhand the
actual water percent but I bet the bag lists it.

--trotting to the kitchen to check that--

I just checked mine and looks like 3-4 cups water to a cup of lentils. Make
it that way, then remove lentils from pot and stow away the rest in the
fridge.

Add back the amount of cooked lentils you wanted, then add dry rice and
water (1 cup rice, 2 scant cups water).

Set it off again and you have a very basic rice/lentil dish. You can add
the spices at the same time as the rice if you like and you may want to use
broth vice water for the rice run.

On Fri, 15 Aug 2008 09:08:54 -0700 (PDT), aem >
wrote:

>On Aug 15, 3:20*am, wrote:
>> Salutations, gentlefolk,
>>
>> Has anyone tried cooking lentils and rice together ? *
>> *In a rice cooker ? *On the stove ? *
>> *Timing ? *Proportions of liquid to solids ?
>>
>Lentils take longer to cook than rice so I prefer recipes for
>mujaradah that call for pre-cooking the lentils before mixing with
>rice and finishing. I have only made it in a pot on the stove but I
>can't think why a rice cooker wouldn't work after the pre-cooking of
>the lentils. So my version would be: Cook 1 cup red/brown lentils in
>plenty of water for about 20 minutes, drain. Mix the lentils with 1.5
>cups long grain rice and add 3 cups cold water. Bring to boil, reduce
>to simmer, cover, cook until lentils are very tender, about 30
>minutes. Meanwhile, slowly cook sliced onions with a little salt in
>butter and olive oil until nicely caramelized. Top lentils and rice
>with onions.

What I've eaten could be called "home style mixed", but I think your
fancy layered version sounds good too.


--
I never worry about diets. The only carrots that interest me are the number of carats in a diamond.

Mae West

On Fri, 15 Aug 2008 09:50:14 -0700 (PDT), Sheldon >
wrote:

>jaf wrote:
>>
>> Has anyone tried cooking lentils and rice together ? ?
>
>Why would anyone want to... doesn't seem like a very good
>combination... but if you insist how difficult is it to give it a go.
>
>It seems to me someone would at least try this in private *before*
>searching for concurrance with other TIADers.

Dear Mr. Pot Kettle Black,
(AKA: The one who calls me negative)

Victor nailed what the dish is called on the first try... I have no
idea why the OP didn't call it by name, but it's absolutely delicious.


--
I never worry about diets. The only carrots that interest me are the number of carats in a diamond.

Mae West

Salutations, gentlefolk,

I asked:

> Has anyone tried cooking lentils and rice together ? ?

and Sheldon replied:

<<

Why would anyone want to... doesn't seem like a very good
combination... but if you insist how difficult is it to give it a go.

It seems to me someone would at least try this in private *before*
searching for concurrance with other TIADers.

>>

As my father oft said:
"Good judgment comes from experience.
Experience comes from bad judgment.
When you can make use of other people's experience, do so."

Yours, John Desmond

"Sheldon" > wrote in message
...
jaf wrote:
>
> Has anyone tried cooking lentils and rice together ? ?

Why would anyone want to... doesn't seem like a very good
combination... but if you insist how difficult is it to give it a go.

It seems to me someone would at least try this in private *before*
searching for concurrance with other TIADers.

LOL! Mujaderrah is a time-honored dish from the middle east - from Syria to
Lebanon to Jordan and beyond. It's middle eastern comfort food, and it's
quite wonderful - and healthful. High in protein and fiber, and
heart-healthy fats. During cooler times of year, I make mujaderrah a coupla
times a month.

TammyM

"TammyM" > wrote
>
> LOL! Mujaderrah is a time-honored dish from the middle east - from Syria
> to Lebanon to Jordan and beyond. It's middle eastern comfort food, and
> it's quite wonderful - and healthful. High in protein and fiber, and
> heart-healthy fats. During cooler times of year, I make mujaderrah a
> coupla times a month.
>

I love it too. And any kind of lentil dish, really.

On Wed, 20 Aug 2008 12:36:41 -0700, "TammyM" >
wrote:

>
>"Sheldon" > wrote in message
...
>jaf wrote:
>>
>> Has anyone tried cooking lentils and rice together ? ?
>
>Why would anyone want to... doesn't seem like a very good
>combination... but if you insist how difficult is it to give it a go.
>
>It seems to me someone would at least try this in private *before*
>searching for concurrance with other TIADers.
>
>LOL! Mujaderrah is a time-honored dish from the middle east - from Syria to
>Lebanon to Jordan and beyond. It's middle eastern comfort food, and it's
>quite wonderful - and healthful. High in protein and fiber, and
>heart-healthy fats. During cooler times of year, I make mujaderrah a coupla
>times a month.
>
>TammyM
>
Something bad happened with your quote marks!




--
I never worry about diets. The only carrots that interest me are the number of carats in a diamond.

Mae West

On Wed, 20 Aug 2008 15:46:58 -0400, "cybercat" >
wrote:

>
>"TammyM" > wrote
>>
>> LOL! Mujaderrah is a time-honored dish from the middle east - from Syria
>> to Lebanon to Jordan and beyond. It's middle eastern comfort food, and
>> it's quite wonderful - and healthful. High in protein and fiber, and
>> heart-healthy fats. During cooler times of year, I make mujaderrah a
>> coupla times a month.
>>
>
>I love it too. And any kind of lentil dish, really.
>
Why is it that everyone except me seems to have been eating this
forever? I just learned about it last year. <sigh> I love it too.

My Dear Son made Mujadara last weekend... he didn't know what it was
called (I told him). I don't know where or how he got the idea. I
took what he had, added more cumin (his cumin was too light because he
didn't want it to taste "Mexican"), added the onions he had
caramelized and cooked it a bit longer. It was delicious! Very good
for the first try of someone who didn't even know the name of what he
was making. I don't think he knew what it should taste like when
finished - he just liked the idea.


--
I never worry about diets. The only carrots that interest me are the number of carats in a diamond.

Mae West

<sf> wrote

> My Dear Son made Mujadara last weekend... he didn't know what it was
> called (I told him). I don't know where or how he got the idea. I
> took what he had, added more cumin (his cumin was too light because he
> didn't want it to taste "Mexican"), added the onions he had
> caramelized and cooked it a bit longer. It was delicious! Very good
> for the first try of someone who didn't even know the name of what he
> was making. I don't think he knew what it should taste like when
> finished - he just liked the idea.

Smart boy. The nutrition is sensational, too.

On Aug 15, 4:23*am, Victor Sack > wrote:
> wrote:
>
> > Has anyone tried cooking lentils and rice together ? *
> > In a rice cooker ? *On the stove ? *
> > Timing ? *Proportions of liquid to solids ?
>
> Check out mejeddarah (mujaddara, megadarra, moudardarah, etc.,
> transliteration varies). The dish is also known as Potage Esau,
> for which Esau supposedly sold his birthright. *The dish is
> supposed to be cooked with no rice, just with lentils or with an
> addition of bulgur, as rice was unknown in the Middle East in
> the biblical times, but nowadays it is often made with rice. A
> somewhat similar dish in India is known as khichri. *Proportions
> of ingredients vary according to individual preferences, as do
> cooking times, which depend on the texture one prefers. *The
> dish can also be made in a pressure cooker. Here is a typical
> recipe from
> <http://www.cookingwiththebible.com/reader/Default.aspx/GR3410-306/rec...>
> If sumac is unavailable, I'd replace it with cumin.
>
> * * * * * * Mejeddarah (Lentils with Rice)
>
> 2 cups lentils (about 1 lb.)
> 8 cups water
> 2 large Spanish onions, chopped
> 1/2 cup olive oil, plus a splash
> 2 Tbsp. sumac
> 1 cup brown (or white) rice, uncooked
> salt and pepper to taste
>
> Sort through the lentils to remove any small stones that might
> have gotten mixed in during the drying process. Wash thoroughly,
> and drain in a colander. Place lentils in a large pot with the
> water and bring to a boil; lower the heat and continue to cook
> for about 15 minutes.
>
> Meanwhile, saute the onions in the olive oil and sumac until
> they begin to caramelize. Add uncooked rice, onions, and pan
> residue to the lentils. Continue cooking about 45 minutes until
> lentils are barely mushy, stirring occasionally. Season to taste.
>
> Serve hot or cold.
>
> Yield: 8 servings
>
> --
> Victor

OK I'll chime in, since mujaddarah is my family's home-cooking soul
food (the Lebanese half of my family, that is).

Victor's recipe looks pretty good. However, I would make one simple,
crucial change:

Only add HALF the cooked onions to the lentils with the uncooked rice.
Time it so that the onions are nice and golden but not caramelized yet
when you're ready to add the rice. Half the onions go in with the
rice, to cook, and then the other half of the onions continue to cook
in the second skillet until caramelized. Serve the remaining onions on
the top of the mujaddarah after you've turned it out on a plate. I.e.,
the super caramelized onions are garnish. Also, drizzle with olive
oil.

On the timing. If you are using white rice, then here's the timing -
give the lentils total of 45 minutes to an hour. (Green or brown flat
lentils sometimes take that long for me, I don't know why. Old maybe?
I buy them frequently). The white rice only needs like twenty minutes.
Don't cook white rice 45 minutes! Gak!

If you are using brown rice then it should go in with the lentils at
the same time.

If you are using burghul (bulgar) wheat, then that should go in about
20 minutes before the end, like for white rice.

My family used burghul (which they grew and processed themselves until
about 45 years ago). Rice is for refined city people! I like the
texture of mjaddarah with white rice much, much better even though
it's not as wholesome or "authentic".

Now, to talk about cooking lentils with rice in a cooker - another
story entirely. I figure about a quarter cup lentils to one cup rice,
and I measure out the water using the particular rice package's
instructions (they vary on water recommendation). Then I add about 3/4
water for the lentils, i.e. 3:1 proportion - they need more room to
expand. A bouillon cube, or stock instead of water, makes all the
difference, and you'll want a fat in there like butter or olive oil.
This makes a pilaf that has some lentils in it, not a gluey mjaddarah
concoction. This is just super simple. Spice as you wish. The Indian
trick of sauteeing onions with say, cumin seed and sprinkling that
over the rice is similar to what I suggest with mjaddarah. It's
yummy. You could also garnish with toasted almond slivers or pine
nuts, currants, and/or bits of ground meat sauteed with onions and
spices.

Or you could stud the pilaf with bits of leftover chicken or other
meat. Tricks to further leftovers.

Serve this with pickle as a condiment, for digestion. Pickles are good
for you, it turns out.

Good luck!

Leila

On Aug 15, 11:51*am, "cshenk" > wrote:
> > wrote in message
> > Has anyone tried cooking lentils and rice together ?
> > In a rice cooker ? *On the stove ?
> > Timing ? *Proportions of liquid to solids ?
>
> > Thanks for your help with this.
>
> Hi John! *I see others showed you how to make it on the stove. *If you plan
> to do it completely in a rice cooker though, you'd need to precook the
> lentils. *Yes, it can be done but you'd work it in 2 series.
>
> First run is just the lentils and water. *I dont make lentils often except
> as a component in a variety crockpot soup/stew so dont know offhand the
> actual water percent but I bet the bag lists it.
>
> --trotting to the kitchen to check that--
>
> I just checked mine and looks like 3-4 cups water to a cup of lentils. *Make
> it that way, then remove lentils from pot and stow away the rest in the
> fridge.
>
> Add back the amount of cooked lentils you wanted, then add dry rice and
> water (1 cup rice, 2 scant cups water).
>
> Set it off again and you have a very basic rice/lentil dish. *You can add
> the spices at the same time as the rice if you like and you may want to use
> broth vice water for the rice run.

You know, this post reminds me that my instructions for cooking
lentils and rice in a rice cooker together assume BROWN rice. My
instructions would not work right for white rice, which is why the
above poster suggests doing two rounds in the cooker. For me that's
too much work. So whenever I do a pilaf in the cooker I choose a
smaller lentil, like those French puys, (the little black ones) and
only use brown rice. I don't like crunchy beans or crunchy rice.

Thanks for this technique above. It looks fine, I just don't have the
concentration to deal with two passes on the cooker.

Leila

On Aug 20, 12:36*pm, "TammyM" > wrote:
> "Sheldon" > wrote in message
>
> ...
>
> jaf wrote:
>
> > Has anyone tried cooking lentils and rice together ? ?
>
> Why would anyone want to... doesn't seem like a very good
> combination... but if you insist how difficult is it to give it a go.
>
> It seems to me someone would at least try this in private *before*
> searching for concurrance with other TIADers.
>
> LOL! *Mujaderrah is a time-honored dish from the middle east - from Syria to
> Lebanon to Jordan and beyond. *It's middle eastern comfort food, and it's
> quite wonderful - and healthful. *High in protein and fiber, and
> heart-healthy fats. *During cooler times of year, I make mujaderrah a coupla
> times a month.
>
> TammyM

Yeah and in case we get a nice anti-Arab spew out of certain people
(naming no names) let me suggest Claudia Roden's Book of Jewish Food.
In it she lists mjaddarah as one of her favorite dishes growing up in
Cairo. Her great-grandfather was the grand rabbi of Aleppo, Syria, and
her family's roots go back to Spain before the Expulsion, but she's an
Egyptian Jew and proud of it, now a British citizen.

I use Claudia's recipe for mjaddarah over my own grandmother's.
Mjaddarah is comfort food for Jews, Muslims and Christians of the
Middle East.

Yours in peace, love, understanding and lentils,

Leila

On Aug 20, 7:32*pm, sf wrote:
> On Wed, 20 Aug 2008 15:46:58 -0400, "cybercat" >
> wrote:
>
>
>
> >"TammyM" > wrote
>
> >> LOL! *Mujaderrah is a time-honored dish from the middle east - from Syria
> >> to Lebanon to Jordan and beyond. *It's middle eastern comfort food, and
> >> it's quite wonderful - and healthful. *High in protein and fiber, and
> >> heart-healthy fats. *During cooler times of year, I make mujaderrah a
> >> coupla times a month.
>
> >I love it too. And any kind of lentil dish, really.
>
> Why is it that everyone except me seems to have been eating this
> forever? *I just learned about it last year. *<sigh> *I love it too..
>
> My Dear Son made Mujadara last weekend... he didn't know what it was
> called (I told him). *I don't know where or how he got the idea. *I
> took what he had, added more cumin (his cumin was too light because he
> didn't want it to taste "Mexican"), added the onions he had
> caramelized and cooked it a bit longer. *It was delicious! *Very good
> for the first try of someone who didn't even know the name of what he
> was making. *I don't think he knew what it should taste like when
> finished - he just liked the idea.
>
> --
> I never worry about diets. The only carrots that interest me are the number of carats in a diamond.
>
> Mae West

Eight years ago or so my WASP-y but half-Jewish husband was eating
mjaddarah at great expense from a Middle Eastern takeout place in
downtown San Francisco. He and all his echt-white-guy programmer
buddies had a mjaddarah fetish for a long while there. When I found
out, I said 'why the hell didn't you tell me? THat's my home cooking!"
and I made him some right then. I thought it was too funny that all
those dot-com era spoiled computer guys (they had a concierge in their
office!) were eating peasant food from my village, and paying good
money for it, too.

Back in the 70s my cousins used to close up the shutters when they
made mjaddarah - they didn't want the neighbors to make fun of them
for eating poor people's food. Too bad - Lebanese diet is getting as
wretched as modern Americans ... some of the traditional foods are now
for beggars so people won't eat them. Like arugula, which the poor
always harvested in empty fields. Wild greens. Only for the starving.
Elites eat potato chips and hot dogs, dontcha know.

Leila

On Aug 20, 8:53*pm, Leila > wrote:
> On Aug 15, 4:23*am, Victor Sack > wrote:
>
>
>
> > wrote:
>
> > > Has anyone tried cooking lentils and rice together ? *
> > > In a rice cooker ? *On the stove ? *
> > > Timing ? *Proportions of liquid to solids ?
>
> > Check out mejeddarah (mujaddara, megadarra, moudardarah, etc.,
> > transliteration varies). The dish is also known as Potage Esau,
> > for which Esau supposedly sold his birthright. *The dish is
> > supposed to be cooked with no rice, just with lentils or with an
> > addition of bulgur, as rice was unknown in the Middle East in
> > the biblical times, but nowadays it is often made with rice. A
> > somewhat similar dish in India is known as khichri. *Proportions
> > of ingredients vary according to individual preferences, as do
> > cooking times, which depend on the texture one prefers. *The
> > dish can also be made in a pressure cooker. Here is a typical
> > recipe from
> > <http://www.cookingwiththebible.com/reader/Default.aspx/GR3410-306/rec....>
> > If sumac is unavailable, I'd replace it with cumin.
>
> > * * * * * * Mejeddarah (Lentils with Rice)
>
> > 2 cups lentils (about 1 lb.)
> > 8 cups water
> > 2 large Spanish onions, chopped
> > 1/2 cup olive oil, plus a splash
> > 2 Tbsp. sumac
> > 1 cup brown (or white) rice, uncooked
> > salt and pepper to taste
>
> > Sort through the lentils to remove any small stones that might
> > have gotten mixed in during the drying process. Wash thoroughly,
> > and drain in a colander. Place lentils in a large pot with the
> > water and bring to a boil; lower the heat and continue to cook
> > for about 15 minutes.
>
> > Meanwhile, saute the onions in the olive oil and sumac until
> > they begin to caramelize. Add uncooked rice, onions, and pan
> > residue to the lentils. Continue cooking about 45 minutes until
> > lentils are barely mushy, stirring occasionally. Season to taste.
>
> > Serve hot or cold.
>
> > Yield: 8 servings
>
> > --
> > Victor
>
> OK I'll chime in, since mujaddarah is my family's home-cooking soul
> food (the Lebanese half of my family, that is).
>
> Victor's recipe looks pretty good. However, I would make one simple,
> crucial change:
>
> Only add HALF the cooked onions to the lentils with the uncooked rice.
> Time it so that the onions are nice and golden but not caramelized yet
> when you're ready to add the rice. Half the onions go in with the
> rice, to cook, and then the other half of the onions continue to cook
> in the second skillet until caramelized. Serve the remaining onions on
> the top of the mujaddarah after you've turned it out on a plate. I.e.,
> the super caramelized onions are garnish. Also, drizzle with olive
> oil.
>
> On the timing. If you are using white rice, then here's the timing -
> give the lentils total of 45 minutes to an hour. (Green or brown flat
> lentils sometimes take that long for me, I don't know why. Old maybe?
> I buy them frequently). The white rice only needs like twenty minutes.
> Don't cook white rice 45 minutes! Gak!
>
> If you are using brown rice then it should go in with the lentils at
> the same time.
>
> If you are using burghul (bulgar) wheat, then that should go in about
> 20 minutes before the end, like for white rice.
>
> My family used burghul (which they grew and processed themselves until
> about 45 years ago). Rice is for refined city people! I like the
> texture of mjaddarah with white rice much, much better even though
> it's not as wholesome or "authentic".
>
> Now, to talk about cooking lentils with rice in a cooker - another
> story entirely. I figure about a quarter cup lentils to one cup rice,
> and I measure out the water using the particular rice package's
> instructions (they vary on water recommendation). Then I add about 3/4
> water for the lentils, i.e. 3:1 proportion - they need more room to
> expand. A bouillon cube, or stock instead of water, makes all the
> difference, and you'll want a fat in there like butter or olive oil.
> This makes a pilaf that has some lentils in it, not a gluey mjaddarah
> concoction. This is just super simple. Spice as you wish. The Indian
> trick of sauteeing onions with say, cumin seed and sprinkling that
> over the rice is similar to what I suggest with mjaddarah. It's
> yummy. *You could also garnish with toasted almond slivers or pine
> nuts, currants, and/or bits of ground meat sauteed with onions and
> spices.
>
> Or you could stud the pilaf with bits of leftover chicken or other
> meat. Tricks to further leftovers.
>
> Serve this with pickle as a condiment, for digestion. Pickles are good
> for you, it turns out.
>
> Good luck!
>
> Leila

Note my correction upthread on my lentils-n-rice in the cooker
discussion. My directions only work with brown rice. Don't try it with
white rice.

Leila

Victor Sack wrote:
> wrote:
> >
> > Has anyone tried cooking lentils and rice together ?
> > In a rice cooker ? On the stove ?
> > Timing ? Proportions of liquid to solids ?
>
> Check out mejeddarah (mujaddara, megadarra, moudardarah, etc.,
> transliteration varies). The dish is also known as Potage Esau,
> for which Esau supposedly sold his birthright. The dish is
> supposed to be cooked with no rice, just with lentils or with an
> addition of bulgur, as rice was unknown in the Middle East in
> the biblical times, but nowadays it is often made with rice. A
> somewhat similar dish in India is known as khichri. Proportions
> of ingredients vary according to individual preferences, as do
> cooking times, which depend on the texture one prefers. The
> dish can also be made in a pressure cooker. Here is a typical
> recipe from
> <http://www.cookingwiththebible.com/reader/Default.aspx/GR3410-306/recipe/>
> If sumac is unavailable, I'd replace it with cumin.
>
>
is this a main dish or a side dish. i'll get some lentils & give it a
try. i have about a teaspoon of zatar from penzeys, which should do
the trick for me.

harriet & critter

On Wed, 20 Aug 2008 21:07:07 -0700 (PDT), Leila
> wrote:

>Back in the 70s my cousins used to close up the shutters when they
>made mjaddarah - they didn't want the neighbors to make fun of them
>for eating poor people's food. Too bad - Lebanese diet is getting as
>wretched as modern Americans ... some of the traditional foods are now
>for beggars so people won't eat them. Like arugula, which the poor
>always harvested in empty fields. Wild greens. Only for the starving.
>Elites eat potato chips and hot dogs, dontcha know.

Oh, man... well, at least here we're cycling in a positive way.
Don't you wish you could just go out and pick arugula in a field?


--
I never worry about diets. The only carrots that interest me are the number of carats in a diamond.

Mae West

"Leila" > wrote in message
...
On Aug 20, 7:32 pm, sf wrote:
> On Wed, 20 Aug 2008 15:46:58 -0400, "cybercat" >
> wrote:
>
>
>
> >"TammyM" > wrote
>
> >> LOL! Mujaderrah is a time-honored dish from the middle east - from
> >> Syria
> >> to Lebanon to Jordan and beyond. It's middle eastern comfort food, and
> >> it's quite wonderful - and healthful. High in protein and fiber, and
> >> heart-healthy fats. During cooler times of year, I make mujaderrah a
> >> coupla times a month.
>
> >I love it too. And any kind of lentil dish, really.
>
> Why is it that everyone except me seems to have been eating this
> forever? I just learned about it last year. <sigh> I love it too.
>
> My Dear Son made Mujadara last weekend... he didn't know what it was
> called (I told him). I don't know where or how he got the idea. I
> took what he had, added more cumin (his cumin was too light because he
> didn't want it to taste "Mexican"), added the onions he had
> caramelized and cooked it a bit longer. It was delicious! Very good
> for the first try of someone who didn't even know the name of what he
> was making. I don't think he knew what it should taste like when
> finished - he just liked the idea.
>
> --
> I never worry about diets. The only carrots that interest me are the
> number of carats in a diamond.
>
> Mae West

>Eight years ago or so my WASP-y but half-Jewish husband was eating
>mjaddarah at great expense from a Middle Eastern takeout place in
>downtown San Francisco. He and all his echt-white-guy programmer
>buddies had a mjaddarah fetish for a long while there. When I found
>out, I said 'why the hell didn't you tell me? THat's my home cooking!"
>and I made him some right then. I thought it was too funny that all
>those dot-com era spoiled computer guys (they had a concierge in their
>office!) were eating peasant food from my village, and paying good
>money for it, too.

It is funny. I am 49, northeastern US born, and had lentils a few times as a
young adult, usually in the kitchens of my older "hippie" friends. (My
bloodlines are waspy as hell, but my taste in food is not entirely.) I
developed a taste for them after experimenting and making a very thick
lentil soup with plump browned onions, bay leaf and salsa, which I topped
with shredded cheddar cheese.

Later I made mjaddarha and liked that too.

There is something so delicious about lentils in and of themselves. They are
"meaty."

>Back in the 70s my cousins used to close up the shutters when they
>made mjaddarah - they didn't want the neighbors to make fun of them
>for eating poor people's food.

Crazy. (Although, there are several assholes here who sneer at the fact that
I shop at Aldi, calling it a "poor people's store,"though the produce is
very fresh and one-third the price, as are the canned goods and dairy
products.)

Mjaddarha is so nutritionally rich, like many legume, grain and vegetable
based foods. I like meat and need to have chicken or steak etc. regularly,
but the bulk of our diet at home is soups and stews featuring lots of beans,
lentils, spices, and vegetables.

>Too bad - Lebanese diet is getting as wretched as modern Americans ... some
>of the traditional foods are now for beggars so people won't eat them. Like
> >arugula, which the poor always harvested in empty fields. Wild greens.
>Only for the starving.
>Elites eat potato chips and hot dogs, dontcha know.


Sad. I guess there are stupid people everywhere. Status foods? Status art?
Horse shit.

"Leila" > ha scritto nel messaggio
If you are using brown rice then it should go in with the lentils at
the same time.

If you are using burghul (bulgar) wheat, then that should go in about
20 minutes before the end, like for white rice.

My family used burghul (which they grew and processed themselves until
about 45 years ago). Rice is for refined city people! I like the
texture of mjaddarah with white rice much, much better even though
it's not as wholesome or "authentic".


Or you could stud the pilaf with bits of leftover chicken or other
meat. Tricks to further leftovers.

Serve this with pickle as a condiment, for digestion. Pickles are good
for you, it turns out.

Good luck!

Leila

This was such a great post I couldn't snip well, so forgive me.

I looked up this dish, found some recipes, thought, yes indeed, I want to
make that! and then I( read this post and decided I want you to make that
for me. It got precise and elaborated at some point and I have lost my
faith that I can do it justice.

On Thu, 21 Aug 2008 11:33:07 +0200, "Giusi" >
wrote:

>I looked up this dish, found some recipes, thought, yes indeed, I want to
>make that! and then I( read this post and decided I want you to make that
>for me. It got precise and elaborated at some point and I have lost my
>faith that I can do it justice.

Remember this: You are a trained professional! Yours might be
"different" from Leila's, but it will still be good. As far as I can
tell, there are as many ways to make it as there are families - so be
brave. Oh, yes... it may start off with a layer of caramelized onions
on top but in my limited experience, they are quickly mixed in.


--
I never worry about diets. The only carrots that interest me are the number of carats in a diamond.

Mae West

<sf> ha scritto nel messaggio
...
> On Thu, 21 Aug 2008 11:33:07 +0200, "Giusi" >
> wrote:
>
>>I looked up this dish, found some recipes, thought, yes indeed, I want to
>>make that! and then I( read this post and decided I want you to make that
>>for me. It got precise and elaborated at some point and I have lost my
>>faith that I can do it justice.
>
> Remember this: You are a trained professional! Yours might be
> "different" from Leila's, but it will still be good. As far as I can
> tell, there are as many ways to make it as there are families - so be
> brave. Oh, yes... it may start off with a layer of caramelized onions
> on top but in my limited experience, they are quickly mixed in.
>

This I know from the school of hard knocks. I follow recipes and make the
foods of say Puglia. Then I go to Puglia and WOW. Recipes are sometimes
not enough. Some of my explanations of how things should feel and taste are
longer than the recipes they accompany!

On Thu, 21 Aug 2008 14:08:50 +0200, "Giusi" >
wrote:

><sf> ha scritto nel messaggio
.. .
>> On Thu, 21 Aug 2008 11:33:07 +0200, "Giusi" >
>> wrote:
>>
>>>I looked up this dish, found some recipes, thought, yes indeed, I want to
>>>make that! and then I( read this post and decided I want you to make that
>>>for me. It got precise and elaborated at some point and I have lost my
>>>faith that I can do it justice.
>>
>> Remember this: You are a trained professional! Yours might be
>> "different" from Leila's, but it will still be good. As far as I can
>> tell, there are as many ways to make it as there are families - so be
>> brave. Oh, yes... it may start off with a layer of caramelized onions
>> on top but in my limited experience, they are quickly mixed in.
>>
>
>This I know from the school of hard knocks. I follow recipes and make the
>foods of say Puglia. Then I go to Puglia and WOW. Recipes are sometimes
>not enough. Some of my explanations of how things should feel and taste are
>longer than the recipes they accompany!
>
I'd say until you have a chance to eat the real thing, do your best
and enjoy it. After you've tasted the real thing, you may want to
adjust yours... or not.


--
I never worry about diets. The only carrots that interest me are the number of carats in a diamond.

Mae West

mequeenbe.nospam > wrote:

> Victor Sack wrote:
> >
> > Check out mejeddarah (mujaddara, megadarra, moudardarah, etc.,
> > transliteration varies).
> >
> is this a main dish or a side dish.

This dish has been around for literally thousands of years and I'd guess
that most of the time it was regarded as a meal in itself. Nowadays it
is served any which way. I have even seen it offered as an appetizer in
restaurants.

Victor

Leila > wrote:

> Only add HALF the cooked onions to the lentils with the uncooked rice.
> Time it so that the onions are nice and golden but not caramelized yet
> when you're ready to add the rice. Half the onions go in with the
> rice, to cook, and then the other half of the onions continue to cook
> in the second skillet until caramelized. Serve the remaining onions on
> the top of the mujaddarah after you've turned it out on a plate. I.e.,
> the super caramelized onions are garnish. Also, drizzle with olive
> oil.

This is a great tip and I am going to follow it next time.

> On the timing. If you are using white rice, then here's the timing -
> give the lentils total of 45 minutes to an hour. (Green or brown flat
> lentils sometimes take that long for me, I don't know why. Old maybe?
> I buy them frequently). The white rice only needs like twenty minutes.
> Don't cook white rice 45 minutes! Gak!
>
> If you are using brown rice then it should go in with the lentils at
> the same time.

Unfortunately, this kind of timing is good only for the lentils you
know. Lentils vary a great deal in this respect. Red lentils I have
here take only 10 minutes to cook; lentilles du Puy (which are green)
take 30 minutes.

> Serve this with pickle as a condiment, for digestion. Pickles are good
> for you, it turns out.

Au contraire! Pickles are the most dangerous things imaginable! Here
is an authoritative article published in the learned _Journal of
Irreproducible Results_ sometime in the 1950s or 60s.

Victor

PICKLES AND HUMBUG
(A bit of comparative logic)

Pickles will kill you! Every pickle you eat brings you nearer to death.
Amazingly, "the thinking man" has failed to grasp the terrifying
significance of the term "in the pickle". Although leading
horticulturalists have long known that Cucumis sativa possesses
indehiscent pepo, the pickle industry continues to expand.

Pickles are associated with all major diseases of the body. Eating them
breeds wars and Communism. They can be related to most airline
tragedies. Auto accidents are caused by pickles. There exists a positive
relationship between crime waves and consumption of this fruit of the
cucurbit family. For example:

- Nearly all sick people have eaten pickles. The effects are cumulative.

- 99.9% of all people who die from cancer have eaten pickles.

- 100% of all soldiers have eaten pickles.

- 96.8% of all Red sympathizers have eaten pickles.

- 99.7% of the people involved in air and auto accidents ate pickles
within 14 days preceding the accident.

- 93.1% of juvenile delinquents come from homes where pickles are served
frequently.

Evidence points to the long term effects of pickle eating.

- Of the people born in 1839 who later dined on pickles, there has been
a 100% mortality.

- All pickle eaters born between 1849 and 1859 have wrinkled skin, have
lost most of their teeth, have brittle bones and failing eye-sight, if
the ills of eating pickles have not already caused their death.

- Medical results indicate that rats force-fed 20 lbs. of pickles
per day for 30 days developed bulging abdomens. Their appetities for
wholesome food were destroyed.

- The only way to avoid the deleterious effects of pickle eating is to
change one's eating habits.
Eat orchid petal soup. Practically no one has any problems from eating
orchid petal soup.

"Leila" > wrote in message
...
On Aug 20, 12:36 pm, "TammyM" > wrote:
> "Sheldon" > wrote in message
>
> ...
>
> jaf wrote:
>
> > Has anyone tried cooking lentils and rice together ? ?
>
> Why would anyone want to... doesn't seem like a very good
> combination... but if you insist how difficult is it to give it a go.
>
> It seems to me someone would at least try this in private *before*
> searching for concurrance with other TIADers.
>
> LOL! Mujaderrah is a time-honored dish from the middle east - from Syria
> to
> Lebanon to Jordan and beyond. It's middle eastern comfort food, and it's
> quite wonderful - and healthful. High in protein and fiber, and
> heart-healthy fats. During cooler times of year, I make mujaderrah a
> coupla
> times a month.
>
> TammyM

Yeah and in case we get a nice anti-Arab spew out of certain people
(naming no names) let me suggest Claudia Roden's Book of Jewish Food.
In it she lists mjaddarah as one of her favorite dishes growing up in
Cairo. Her great-grandfather was the grand rabbi of Aleppo, Syria, and
her family's roots go back to Spain before the Expulsion, but she's an
Egyptian Jew and proud of it, now a British citizen.

I use Claudia's recipe for mjaddarah over my own grandmother's.
Mjaddarah is comfort food for Jews, Muslims and Christians of the
Middle East.

Yours in peace, love, understanding and lentils,

Leila

Leila,
Claudia Roden <makes sign of cross>. I have more of her cookbooks than
those of anyone else. I appreciate the history she imparts, the culture,
the love of the cookery. It was her description of mujadderah (sp?) that
first inspired this little mixed-ethnicity Catholic upstart to make the
dish. My love of the food of the middle east has only grown since then.

TammyM

On Thu, 21 Aug 2008 23:55:20 +0200, Victor Sack wrote:

> Leila > wrote:
>
>> Serve this with pickle as a condiment, for digestion. Pickles are good
>> for you, it turns out.
>
> Au contraire! Pickles are the most dangerous things imaginable! Here
> is an authoritative article published in the learned _Journal of
> Irreproducible Results_ sometime in the 1950s or 60s.
>
> Victor
>
> PICKLES AND HUMBUG
> (A bit of comparative logic)
>
> Pickles will kill you! Every pickle you eat brings you nearer to death.
> Amazingly, "the thinking man" has failed to grasp the terrifying
> significance of the term "in the pickle".

i thought that was only sweet pickles.

your pal,
blake

On Thu, 21 Aug 2008 20:37:13 -0700, "TammyM" >
wrote:

>Yours in peace, love, understanding and lentils,

don't forget the rice, onions and cumin....


--
I never worry about diets. The only carrots that interest me are the number of carats in a diamond.

Mae West

<sf> wrote in message ...
> On Thu, 21 Aug 2008 20:37:13 -0700, "TammyM" >
> wrote:
>
>>Yours in peace, love, understanding and lentils,
>
> don't forget the rice, onions and cumin....

Ummmm ... I didn't write that. Attributions,s'il vous plait,attributions!

TammM

On Sat, 23 Aug 2008 10:22:23 -0700, "TammyM" >
wrote:

>
><sf> wrote in message ...
>> On Thu, 21 Aug 2008 20:37:13 -0700, "TammyM" >
>> wrote:
>>
>>>Yours in peace, love, understanding and lentils,
>>
>> don't forget the rice, onions and cumin....
>
>Ummmm ... I didn't write that. Attributions,s'il vous plait,attributions!
>
>TammM
>

Physician heal thy self. You need to fix your news readers quote
markers. There weren't any.


--
I never worry about diets. The only carrots that interest me are the number of carats in a diamond.

Mae West