This is my recipe:Kushari/Mujaddara:
Mujaddara has always been considered poor man’s dish throughout the ages in the Middle East but currently it is considered a very healthy dish that provides a balanced healthy meal , with healthy fat, protein and carbohydrates. This dish is a very flavorful dish.
This dish goes by many names, In Palestine, Jordan and Syria it is called Mujaddara, and in Lebanon it is called Mudardara, while in Egypt it is called Kushari, a very similar recipe with addition of pasta and hot sauce to the dish. No matter what you name it, it is a very tasty recipe served hot or cold with small cut salad consist of tomatoes, cucumbers, parsley, dressed with lemon juice and olive oil.
Mujaddara ingredients:
- 2 cups already cooked Rice
-1 cup brown Lentils
-Two to four onions, diced or cut into slices
- Oil for frying the onions
- 2 tablespoons Cumin
-Salt, Black pepper to taste
Directions:
- Wash and boil brown lentils until they are tender. Drain.
- Caramelize the onions by simmering them with cooking oil on medium heat. They will take a while to turn into that desired golden brown color. They burn easy if you turn your head away from it, so keep an eye on them!! You may increase the amount of the caramelized onions to garnish your dish with.
-Add the lentils to the onion and oil mix stir around for couple of minutes then add the rice.
-My personal recipe consists of using already cooked rice, or leftover rice. From my own experience, I found out that the rice and lentils both will keep their shape avoiding having lumps in the dish or having it to be too wet.
Top with the previously reserved caramelized onions.
Plate the Mujaddara and top with caramelized onions if desired. Serve hot next to simple peasant salad which includes small cut tomatoes and cucumber dressed with olive oil and lemon juice. You may serve it next to plain yogurt too.
Enjoy!
An update for the recipe, how to turn it into a Kushari dish, cook the rice and lentils as the above directions. Set aside. For the sauce and the pasta you need to do the following:
-1 cup uncooked pasta (small shells or elbow macaroni is best)
-2 large onions
-diced 4 cloves garlic, minced
-2 tablespoons oil
-1 can chopped tomatoes or fresh tomatoes
-1/4 teaspoon crushed red chili pepper flakes (or more to taste)
-salt and black pepper
-1 cup uncooked pasta (small shells or elbow macaroni is best)
-2 large onions
-diced 4 cloves garlic, minced
-2 tablespoons oil
-1 can chopped tomatoes or fresh tomatoes
-1/4 teaspoon crushed red chili pepper flakes (or more to taste)
-salt and black pepper
-Cook the macaroni in a separate pot
-Rinse and strain when done.
-Meanwhile, fry the onions and garlic in the oil until golden.
-Add the tomatoes, chili flakes, salt and pepper to taste and let it bubble for 10-20 minutes or until thickened and sauce like.
-You can now smooth out the sauce in a food processor until smooth or just leave as is.
-Plate your Mujaddara and add the macaroni on top .
-Top with tomato sauce.
-Sprinkle with more hot chili powder or salt and pepper, if desired. You may garnish with fried onions on top.
If you all like, check out this recipe that is more authentic than mine, comes from Chahira's Recipe:
The ingredients:-
1 cup brown lentils
1 cup rice (Egyptian rice)
1/8 kg ditalini pasta
Salt
For the fried onions :
2 big onions and some oil for frying it.
About a 1/4 cup of vegetable oil.
For the salsa or tomatoes sauce:-
2 cups tomato juice.
1good onion chopped very finely.
3 garlic cloves, finely crushed.
1 TBS vinegar (white vinegar).
vegetable oil, salt, pepper, cumin, hot chili.
For Dakka:- a cumin, vinegar, garlic sauce
2 TBS cumin seeds crashed
Half a cup of vinegar
Half a cup of hot water
1tsp of hot chili- salt and pepper
4 garlic cloves. How to prepare it:-
Cook lentils in salted water until tender. Strain.
In a rice pan stir the washed rice in a tablespoon of vegetable oil then cover it with water put some salt and let it cooked till boiling then Cook it on a very low flame until tender.
Cook macaroni, strain, rinse, and strain again.
Place these three ingredients in a cooking pot.
Fry onions (in a separate pan) to a brown , then remove the onions onto absorbent paper and strain the oil into the lentil /rice/pasta mixture. Return the pot to the flame and cook for 7-10 minutes, keep the flame always low.
To prepare tomato sauce:-
Saute onions until soft, then add garlic and fry to a pale brown. Add tomato juice and simmer for 15-20 minutes, until sauce is cooked and becomes thick . Add vinegar and seasonings and cook 2-3 minutes longer.
To prepare Dakka:-
Take garlic cloves and hit them with the end of the knife, but don't break them up. Add into white vinegar and water mix. Add some cumin and coriander into the vinegar as well as salt and pepper and hot chili. Stir and let it aside.Serve the dish by topping each individual plate "rice/pasta/lentil" with tomato sauce and fried onions. Sprinkle it with some whole cooked chickpeas.
Serve it with a bowl full of Dakka so you can add from it the quantity you need in your plate.
1 cup brown lentils
1 cup rice (Egyptian rice)
1/8 kg ditalini pasta
Salt
For the fried onions :
2 big onions and some oil for frying it.
About a 1/4 cup of vegetable oil.
For the salsa or tomatoes sauce:-
2 cups tomato juice.
1good onion chopped very finely.
3 garlic cloves, finely crushed.
1 TBS vinegar (white vinegar).
vegetable oil, salt, pepper, cumin, hot chili.
For Dakka:- a cumin, vinegar, garlic sauce
2 TBS cumin seeds crashed
Half a cup of vinegar
Half a cup of hot water
1tsp of hot chili- salt and pepper
4 garlic cloves. How to prepare it:-
Cook lentils in salted water until tender. Strain.
In a rice pan stir the washed rice in a tablespoon of vegetable oil then cover it with water put some salt and let it cooked till boiling then Cook it on a very low flame until tender.
Cook macaroni, strain, rinse, and strain again.
Place these three ingredients in a cooking pot.
Fry onions (in a separate pan) to a brown , then remove the onions onto absorbent paper and strain the oil into the lentil /rice/pasta mixture. Return the pot to the flame and cook for 7-10 minutes, keep the flame always low.
To prepare tomato sauce:-
Saute onions until soft, then add garlic and fry to a pale brown. Add tomato juice and simmer for 15-20 minutes, until sauce is cooked and becomes thick . Add vinegar and seasonings and cook 2-3 minutes longer.
To prepare Dakka:-
Take garlic cloves and hit them with the end of the knife, but don't break them up. Add into white vinegar and water mix. Add some cumin and coriander into the vinegar as well as salt and pepper and hot chili. Stir and let it aside.Serve the dish by topping each individual plate "rice/pasta/lentil" with tomato sauce and fried onions. Sprinkle it with some whole cooked chickpeas.
Serve it with a bowl full of Dakka so you can add from it the quantity you need in your plate.
وفيما يلي وصف كامل للمقادير وطريقة التحضير: كأس كبيرة من العدس الأسود غير المطحون كأسين اثنين كبيرتين من الأرز المصري أو ألبرغل, حسب الرغبه
مقدار فنجان قهوة من زيت الذرة اوزيت دوّار الشمس بصلة واحدة مفرومه
ملح الطعام حسب الذوق ملعقه كبيره كمون التحضيـــــر: يسلق العدس حتى ينضج بالوصفه العاديه لتفلفل الأرز يطبخ الأرز يخلط العدس والأرز معاً مع التحريك البسيط تقلي البصلة بزيت الذرة ويضاف الزيت فوق الأرز والعدس وهما ساخنان تخلط جميع المقادير بخفة للمحافظة على شكل الأرز والعدس
تسكب المجدرة بالصحن مع وضع البصلة المقليه فوقها يتم تقديم هذا الطبق ساخناً مع سلطة الطماطم والخضار وكذلك اللبن الزبادي
Basbooseh/Basboosah: Basbooseh is a samolina or farina cake that is made widely in the Middle East with different variations. Some recipes require adding coconut flakes to it, other recipes require adding eggs to the mix, and others do not add yogurt to it as listed here in the recipe. No matter how it is made, the end results are sweet and delicious! Basbooseh has many names across the Middle East. It is called Nammourah or Hareeseh beside its Basbooseh or Basboosah name.
Basboosah:
One cup Semolina, also called Cream of Wheat OR Farina One cup Sugar One cup Plain Yogurt One teaspoon Baking Powder One tablespoon Tahini Slivered Almonds for garnish
Directions Mix dry ingredients together, add the yogurt and mix well. Spread the tahini in the baking pan. place the mix in the pan, bake on 350 degrees F for about 15 minutes. take out of the oven, garnish with almonds, return to the oven and continue baking for another ten minutes of so, or until the edges of your basbooseh cake becomes brownish. At this point , you may add the COLD sugar syrup to it or wait until it is fully cooled then add the hot sugar syrup
كوب دقيق سميد كوب سكر
كوب لبن رايب (زبادي)
معلقه صغيره بيكنج بودر
معلقتين كبيرتين زبده
معلقه كبيره طحينه
لوز مقشر للتزيين
ألطريقه:
أخلطي السميد, السكر و البيكنج باودر معا. أضيفي اللبن و حرّكي جيدا حتى يمتزج الخليط جيدا. أدهني الطحينه في الصينيه ثم ضعي الخليط بها مع فردها حتى تصبح مستويه في صينية الخبز. ضعيها في فرن بحرارة 350 فهرنهايت لمدة 15 دقيقه ثم أخرجيها من الفرن و زينيها باللوز المقشّر و أكملي عملية الخبز حتى تصبح شقراء اللون. دعيها تبرد جيدا قبل أن تسقّيها بالقطر الساخن. أو بأمكانك أضافة القطر البارد عند أخراجها من الفرن. قدميها في حرارة الغرفه مع القهوه أو الشاي, و صحتين و عافيه.
