Mujadara Hamra

Method8 steps

1. 1

   Step 1: Sort and rinse the 1 cup dry brown lentils, then drain and discard their rinsing water; set them aside. Chop the 4 large onions and place them in a pan with all the ½ cup regular olive oil. Sprinkle on a little from the approximately 2 tsp salt allowance, reserving the remaining allowance for step 4.

   Uses 1 cup dry brown lentils · Water as needed to rinse the lentils; drain and discard · 4 large onions, chopped · ½ cup regular olive oil · A little of the about 2 tsp onion-base salt allowance

2. 2

   Step 2: Sauté the prepared onions in their oil over medium heat, turning them frequently so they colour evenly without catching. They need at least 20 minutes and may take longer: continue until very dark brown, stopping before they burn. The 20-minute timer is a first check, not a completion deadline.

   First check dark-brown onions · 20 minUses All onions, oil and initial salt from step 1

3. 3

   Step 3: Lower the heat, stand back and slowly add enough boiled water to just cover the very dark onions; it will splutter. Press the onions down with the back of a wooden spoon.

   Uses All dark browned onions with their retained oil from step 2 · Boiled water, enough to just cover the browned onions

4. 4

   Step 4: Add the remaining onion-base salt allowance to the onions and water; the total initial and remaining allowance is about 2 tsp, adjusted to taste. Bring to the boil, cover, lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes, beginning the timer at the simmer.

   Simmer the onion base · 10 minUses All onions and water from step 3 · Remaining onion-base salt allowance after the initial sprinkle

5. 5

   Step 5: Add all the rinsed brown lentils set aside in step 1 and all 3½ cups cold water to the simmered onion base. Bring back to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer gently for about 30 minutes until the lentils are cooked, checking their tenderness before continuing.

   Check brown lentil tenderness · 30 minUses All covered-simmered onion base from step 4 · All rinsed 1 cup dry brown lentils from step 1 · 3½ cups cold water

6. 6

   Step 6: Stir the 1 cup coarse bulgur wheat into the cooked lentils and their onion-rich liquid. Simmer gently for another 15 minutes, until the bulgur is tender and has absorbed most of the liquid; watch that the base does not catch.

   Check coarse bulgur · 15 minUses All cooked lentils and onion-rich cooking liquid from step 5 · 1 cup coarse bulgur wheat

7. 7

   Step 7: Once the bulgur is tender and most liquid is absorbed, taste and add extra salt only if needed. Turn off the heat and stir in a dash of the extra virgin olive oil to finish.

   Uses All cooked lentils and bulgur from step 6 · Extra salt to taste only if needed at the finish · Extra virgin olive oil, a dash to finish

8. 8

   Step 8: Serve the finished mujadara hamra across the author’s six portions. Offer a ready vegetable side salad or ready plain yoghurt as an optional accompaniment; these are serving choices rather than ingredients to stir into the cooked batch.

   Uses All finished mujadara hamra from step 7 · Ready vegetable side salad, optional to serve · Ready plain yoghurt, optional instead of side salad