Majadra - Tonua Carano

I've been making this recipe for years, but I've never written it down anywhere. This recipe was created simply by figuring out the flavors and ingredients of one of my favorite sources for majadra (which I've seen spelled a plethora of different ways), Jerusalem Garden in downtown Ann Arbor. I am not claiming that it tastes exactly the same, but I was pleased with the results and felt I got it "close enough."

The tzatziki sauce is optional, but it complements the majadra quite nicely. I recommend making it a few hours in advance, or even the night before, to give time for the flavors to blend.

In addition, I recommend using the brown rice rather than the white rice, though you can use either. I feel the result is better with brown rice.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 30-50 minutes
Serves: 4-6

Majadra Ingredients:

• 1 cup lentils
• 1 cup basmati rice (white or  brown)
• 3-1/2 to 4 cups of water
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 large onions, sliced thin
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• cumin, to taste
• cinnamon, to taste
• pinch of cayenne pepper
• salt and pepper, to taste

Tzatziki Ingredients:

• 12 oz. greek yogurt
• 1 small or 1/2 large cucumber
• 1-2 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 tsp dill

Majadra Directions:

Cook lentils, rice and onions separately. Time them to be completed at the same time.

Cook white basmati rice with 1-1/2 cups water (1.5:1 ratio of water to rice) and a pinch of salt. Cook brown basmati rice with 2 cups water (2:1 ratio of water to rice) and a pinch of salt. Rinse rice well (I recommend rinsing white basmati rice 3 times). Bring water, rice and salt to a boil, then cover with a tight-fitting lid, and reduce to simmer. Cook white rice for 20 minutes. Cook brown rice for 50 minutes. When time is up, remove rice from heat, but do not remove the lid. Let rest for 5 minutes.

Cook lentils with 2 cups water (2:1 ratio of water to lentils), bay leaf and a pinch of salt. Bring the lentils and water to a boil, then reduce to simmer for 20 minutes, uncovered. Lentils should be firm, but not crunchy. Overcooked, they will become mushy. Watch them carefully as the time limit nears an end, and take them off of the heat and drain them as soon as they reach the desired texture. Discard bay leaf.

While the rice and lentils are cooking. Saute onions in olive oil.  Once they are browned, add garlic and allow onions to carmelize (adding garlic earlier can result in burnt garlic).

Set aside a few onions to use as a garnish. Combine rice, lentils and onions. Stir in lemon, cumin, cinnamon, cayenne and salt and pepper. Top with remaining onions. Serve immediately, with tzatziki a dollop of tzatziki (optionally).

Tzatziki Directions:

Chop or grate cucumbers and stir into greek yogurt. For thicker sauce you may want to drain the yogurt first and remove the cucumber seeds. Stir in lemon juice, garlic and dill. Let chill for several hours or overnight. Top with a little dill as a garnish.