JENNIFER ABADI – Mjedrah & Leban (Great for Breaking a Fast!)

M’jedrah

(Rice with Lentils and Fried Onions, with Cucumber-Mint-Yogurt Dressing)

Yield: Serves 8

©Jennifer Abadi, excerpted from A Fistful of Lentils: Syrian-Jewish Recipes from Grandma Fritzie’s Kitchen (2020 Third edition now available in paperback on Amazon.)

 

Ingredients:

For Rice and Lentils:

2 cups dried brown or green lentils (NOT red or yellow), rinsed in cold water then drained

2½ teaspoons salt

2 cups long-grain white rice, soaked in cold water for 10 minutes then drained

 

For Serving:

¼ cup vegetable, canola, safflower, sunflower, or olive oil

2 to 3 cups thinly sliced yellow onions (about 3 medium)

Cucumber-Mint Yogurt Dressing (recipe following)

 

Equipment:

Medium-size saucepan with lid

Medium skillet or frying pan

Mesh strainer

Measuring cups

Measuring spoons

Cutting board

Chopping knife

 

Recipe Procedure:

1. In a heavy medium-size saucepan (about 2-quart size), bring 4 cups of water to a boil over high heat.
   Add the lentils and cook 10 minutes over a medium-low heat, uncovered, until the lentils are halfway cooked and somewhat chewy in texture. Remove from the heat.
2. Drain the lentils over a strainer, reserving all of its liquid. Combine the reserved liquid with enough water to equal 3½ cups, and pour it into the same saucepan. Add the salt and drained rice, and mix. Bring to a boil over high heat, uncovered.
3. Once the rice is boiling, add the drained lentils, and stir twice gently so as not to mush them.
   Boil, uncovered, until the liquid appears mostly absorbed and reaches the level of the surface of the rice and lentils, about 5 minutes. Cover tightly; reduce the heat to its lowest possible level, and steam until the rice is soft but not mushy, about 15 minutes. Once rice is tender, gently fold the rice from the bottom to the top and away from the edges of the pot so that you create a mound in the middle. Recover and cool for 45 minutes to 1 hour for rice to set (as it cools it will become less mushy). Keep covered at room temperature until ready to serve.

(Note: If you need to reheat before serving, pour rice and lentils into an ovenproof, heavy-bottomed pot, cover, and warm in a preheated 250 degree F. oven until warm, about 20 to 30 minutes.)

4. About 45 minutes before serving, heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat and fry the onions until very brown (almost black!) and crispy, about 30 minutes. Arrange the rice and lentils on a serving platter or bowl and pour the fried onions and their oil over the top. Do not mix. Dot the top with the butter and serve at once. Eat with several spoonfuls of this yogurt dressing (leban) on top of each individual serving.

 

Leban m’Naa’na

(Cucumber-Mint-Yogurt Dressing)

Yield: Makes About 2¼ cups

©Jennifer Abadi, excerpted from A Fistful of Lentils: Syrian-Jewish Recipes from Grandma Fritzie’s Kitchen (2020 Third edition now available in paperback on Amazon.)

 

Ingredients:

2 cups plain whole milk yogurt (low fat or nonfat yogurt can be substituted)

1 tablespoon dried mint leaves

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

¼ teaspoon salt (or to taste)

1 cups peeled and finely chopped or coarsely grated Kirby cucumbers, excess liquid drained

 

Equipment:

Medium bowl

Box grater or chopping knife and cutting board

Measuring cups

Measuring spoons

 

Recipe Procedure:

1. Pour the yogurt in a small bowl and stir until creamy.
2. Add the dried mint by crushing it between the palms of your hands.
3. Add the garlic powder and salt and mix well.
4. Fold the cucumber into the mixture, cover, and chill until serving time.
   Dressing will keep, refrigerated, for up to 2 days.