Middle Eastern Rice (Mejadra)

Side Dishes.
I serve this delicious rice, from RecipeTin Eats, with chicken shawarma and Israeli salad. This dish typically includes crispy fried onions or shallots (which I am sure are a delicious addition) but I've skipped them here.

Middle Eastern Rice (Mejadra)

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredients
2 tbsp / 25 ml olive oil
2 tsp / 10 ml cumin seeds (or 1 tsp ground cumin)
1.5 tbsp / 20 ml coriander seeds (or 1.5 tsp ground coriander)
1 cup / 250 ml basmati rice
1.25 cups / 315 ml water
15-ounce (400 g) can brown lentils, drained
1/2 tsp / 2 ml turmeric
1.5 tsp / 7 ml ground cinnamon
1 tsp / 5 ml sugar
1 tsp / 5 ml salt
black pepper, to taste

Directions

Put the olive oil, cumin seeds and coriander in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook for a couple of minutes until the spices are fragrant.

Add the rice and stir to coat with the oil and spices.

Add the water and lentils. Bring to a boil and then add the other spices, salt and pepper. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover with a lid and let cook for 10 to 12 minutes, or until all of the liquid has mostly been absorbed.

Remove from heat and let rest for 10 minutes (during this time any residual liquid will absorb into the rice).

Fluff rice with a fork. Sprinke with chopped fresh coriander if you like.

Serves 8 as a side dish.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size Per 1 serving
Calories 180
Cholesterol 0
Carbohydrates 31
Fiber 4
Protein 7
Fat 3.5
Saturated Fat 0
Trans Fat 0
Sodium 290

Source: www.recipetineats.com