{"id":6776,"date":"2017-04-04T12:12:33","date_gmt":"2017-04-04T19:12:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lifeandhealth.wordifysites.com\/?p=6776"},"modified":"2017-05-09T14:54:57","modified_gmt":"2017-05-09T21:54:57","slug":"vegan-ish-week-2-mujaddara","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lifeandhealth.org\/food\/nutrition\/vegan-ish-week-2-mujaddara\/126776.html","title":{"rendered":"Vegan-ish, Week 2: Mujaddara"},"content":{"rendered":"

Described by the cookbook as \u201cnutty and earthen,\u201d mujaddara are Lebanese lentils. My experience with lentils doesn\u2019t go beyond soup and Indian curry so I took this on hoping to find another potential dish to add to my repertoire.<\/span><\/p>\n

THE COOK<\/b><\/h2>\n

While not a difficult dish, I have to say this took a lot of time.<\/span><\/p>\n

The prep itself is very easy. It\u2019s really just rinsing some lentils and cutting onions. After that\u2019s done, just wipe away the tears get to cookin\u2019.<\/span><\/p>\n

The lentils call for occasional stirring and you have to monitor the water level. Similarly, the caramelized onions require constant attention in order to prevent yourself from ending up with a crispy, burned mess.<\/span><\/p>\n

To truly caramelize the sugar inside of an onion, <\/span>it takes time and patience<\/span><\/a>. Do it too fast and you\u2019ve got sauteed onions, not caramelized ones. That being said, if you put in the work, caramelized onions are one of the greatest things ever!<\/span><\/p>\n

I ended up pulling up a stool next to the fridge and sitting in front of the stove, hovering over a pot and a pan.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Mujaddara<\/a><\/p>\n

As a fan of the Harry Potter series — the books and the movies — I amused myself during this monotonous babysitting by mentally yelling \u201cCONSTANT VIGILANCE!\u201d <\/span>\u00e0<\/span> la Mad-Eye Moody.<\/span><\/p>\n

For me, this was the culinary equivalent of manual labor. By no means complicated but laborious nonetheless.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Mujaddara<\/a><\/p>\n

THE TASTE<\/b><\/h2>\n

First, I went for just the lentils and rice. True to the description, nutty and earthen came to mind. The taste was reminiscent of baked beans and it had a porridge-like texture with all the starch from the lentils. But despite the long, slow cook, I was disappointed that I didn\u2019t find much depth of flavor.<\/span><\/p>\n

The caramelized onions were a game-changer — because, who doesn\u2019t love caramelized onions? Sweet and savory at the same time, the onions added a complex flavor to an otherwise plain dish.<\/span><\/p>\n

THE VERDICT<\/b><\/h2>\n

While not my cup of tea, I can see how a dish like this has its place. With today\u2019s food being so over-seasoned and over-salted, a simple and hearty meal like this would do a body good. Anyone who is trying to watch their sodium intake, should try this recipe out.<\/span><\/p>\n

One new method I will be trying again is the recipe for the caramelized onions. I\u2019ve definitely used more oil (and butter!) when I caramelized onions in the past. Truth: I actually had to fight the urge to add a nice knob of butter during the cook. But I must admit that even though I used very little oil, no butter and deglazed with just water, the onions were still delicious. Yeah, it requires some patience but in the end you get a tasty accoutrement that can be added to almost any dish.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Click to read Jason\u2019s other “Vegan-ish” articles:<\/p>\n