I found this recipe in the AARP magazine and loved the story behind it so, tried it. I really like it! The story was about a woman recreating her immigrant grandmother’s recipes and of course Grandma had nothing written down. She cooked by feel and tradition. “A little bit of this, a little bit of that.” She also used the same old banged up pot over the years and stated, “It’s never made a bad pot yet.” (It took me 20 years to learn exactly how to make a family favorite called Cucan. There were no measurements and baking with yeast dough is an art.) Back to the lentils…. Because there are very few ingredients in this recipe, I thought it would be overly bland. IT’s not ROBUST but it’s very good and makes a great side or meatless entree. I would double up on the onions next time and not just sprinkle them top. I happen to love sauteed onions and they really add to the sweet savory taste of this dish. It makes a lot!! I cut the recipe in half and will enjoy it all week. I had some BBQ chicken with this dish and some of the sauce spilled over to the lentils and rice. It was delightful. I might try a little sriracha or sweet chili sauce OR I might just leave it alone and enjoy every bite.
INGREDIENTS:
2 c. dried Brown or Green lentils (rinsed in cold water and drained)
2 1/2 tsp. salt
2 c. long grain white rice (soaked in cold water 10 minutes, drained)
2-3 TBL olive oil
2-3 thinly sliced yellow onions (I used red onions)
DIRECTIONS:
Cook lentils in 4 c. boiling water for 10 minutes (uncovered)
Drain lentils, reserve liquid..add enough water to the liquid to make 3 1/ 2 c.
Add salt and drained rice
Bring to a boil ….add lentils.. Cook for 5 minutes (uncovered)
Cover and cook on low for 15 minutes. Let this mixture set for 30 minutes for rice to set.
Saute onions in the olive oil and top the rice mixture. ( I will add 1/2 the onions to the mixture and top with other half)
If desired: you can top the serving with yogurt
