Egyptian Lentils and Rice
Amino acids in the lentils and rice combine to form complete proteins, making this warming, comforting dish nutritionally powerful.
INGREDIENTS | SERVES 8
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 medium onion, roughly chopped
- 1 cup rice
- ½ cup brown or green lentils
- 2 teaspoons juice plus ½ teaspoon zest from a lemon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 cups vegetable stock or water
Heat the oil and cumin seeds in a medium saucepan over medium heat until the seeds are fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the onion; cook until translucent, about 5 minutes.
Stir in the rice and lentils, mixing with a wooden spoon until well coated. Add the lemon juice, zest, salt, and stock. Cover tightly and simmer until all water is absorbed, about 20 minutes.
Remove from heat and allow to stand for five minutes before fluffing with a fork and serving. Goes great with a dab of Egyptian chili sauce (“harissa”) or other chili paste.
Rinsing Rice
To make perfect rice, start by washing the grains thoroughly under running water. I usually pour as much rice as I plan to use into the pot I plan to cook it in, and run cold water on it, agitating it with my hand until the water is no longer cloudy, but runs clear. This washes off excess starch on the outside of the grains, eliminates any pesticides that may have been used wherever the rice was warehoused (especially important with Indian basmati rice), and rinses off that weird-tasting multivitamin spray that American makers put into “enriched” rice (such supplements are of negligible nutritional value, and are mainly a way for companies to fill out the government-mandated nutritional charts on the packaging).
