lebanese recipes

Lebanese Lentils, Rice and Caramelized Onions (Mujadara)

lentils

olive oil

cumin seeds

black peppercorns

red onions, thinly sliced

Kosher salt

basmati rice

cumin

cayenne pepper

cinnamon stick

pine nuts, optional

lemon juice

Greek yogurt, for serving, optional

Throw the lentils into a medium saucepan. Fill with enough cold water to cover the lentils by about an inch. Bring it to a boil over medium-high heat, then turn down to a simmer and cook until the lentils are tender but not mushy, about 20 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, as the lentils cook, grab a large skillet. Pop it over medium-high heat and add the oil. Allow the oil to warm for a minute, then drop in the cumin seeds and cracked peppercorns and cook, shaking the pan once in a while until the cumin seeds darken a touch, about 1 minute.

Add the onions, sprinkle with a dash of salt and cook until they turn dark caramel brown, stirring often. This will take about 15 minutes. Splash the onions with a little water if they stick to the bottom of the pan. You'll know they're done both by their deep chestnut color and by the slight crispiness developing on some of the onions.

Using a slotted spoon or spatula, remove about half of the onions to a paper towel-lined plate; these are for garnish later. Sprinkle in the ground cumin, cayenne and then add the cinnamon stick; saute about 1 minute.

Add the rice and cook, stirring often (but gently so you don't break the rice!) until some rice grains start to brown. Quickly, add the cooked lentils, 3 cups of water and 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt; bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to low so that the pan is at a simmer, cover and cook 30 minutes. The water should be completely evaporated and rice should be tender. (If there's still too much water in the bottom, put the lid back on and cook for another 5 minutes.)

Turn off the heat, keep the lid on, and allow the rice to steam undisturbed for about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, toast the pine nuts, if using, in a small skillet over medium-low heat, shaking often, about 5 minutes.

Taste the rice for seasoning. Serve with the reserved caramelized onions, toasted pine nuts, if using, and a little squeeze of lemon juice. I also like to serve this with some dollops of Greek yogurt.

I made this with regular lentils simmered in chicken broth instead of water. I also added about 1lb of ground lamb. Topped with greek yogurt, toasted pine nuts and fresh-squeezed lemon juice. Fantastically tasty!

These are amazing!!  According to my recipe/calorie gadget, there are 273 calories (without the yogurt).  I highly recommend!!!!  Thank you for the recipe!!!

Followed your recipe to the letter. I have made several variations of this dish and yours is the best by far. Full of flavor and filling. My only caveat would to caramelize triple the amount of onions, if your an onion lover like me. This was delicious....

Aarti I am a fan.  I love the flavor but next time I will reduce the water to 1-1//2 cups since the lentils are already cooked. 3 cups of water is way too much for 3/4 cups of rice. Either that or I won't precook the lentils. But at the end of the day, this recipe is a keeper.<br />

Of course I tweaked the recipe a little ( chicken stock instead of water, added curry powder, used more cinnamon and cumin than called for in the end, used brown rice instead of basmati, no pine nuts, 2 onions instead of 3 and left them all in the dish.  My husband had the "ugh! I'm going to hate this!" face on when he tried it.  Afterwards, he declared it a keeper!  Thank you for teaching me how to cook lentils and rice and make it delicious, not bland.<br />

Delicious, fast and easy. I used regular rice and it was great. Also, I subbed slivered almonds and flax seed for the pine nuts (what I had on hand.) Fantastic recipe. You really cant go wrong!

This was very tasty and spicy. I love it! I had no pine nuts nor yogurt. But still it was very good! The yogurt would more than likely cool down the spicyness of the red pepper.

I followed the recipe but used a large 1 1/2 white onions, (CHOPPED AND CARMELIZED FOR ABOUT 10 TO 15 MINUTES, and the same amount of jasmine rice as that is what I had on hand.

I agree with another poster that I think 1/2 cup of olive oil is almost way too much, but then again, the oil carries the spices and covers the lentils and the rice. Next time I will try with about 1/3 cup of olive oil instead.

When cooking the green lentils, I strained the lentils over my 2 cup measuring cup saving the hot water the lentils were cooked in and then added just enough water to make 3 cups liquid. Then put all the liquid in the large pan where everything went to cook for the almost 30 alloted minutes.

My lentils and rice DID NOT turn out mushy. Both held their forms and were tender.



Delicious. I made this tonight but I doubled the rice, and toasted it separately in a nonstick pan, and I also used baby lentils, skipped the step with the browning of the rice b/c I already toasted the rice separately, and added the water,I only used about 2 1/2 cups of water and added the uncooked baby lentils... I let it bubble down for about 5 minutes uncovered, then I steamed it for about 30 minutes or so covered. It was perfect. 

<ul><li> I have made this twice now and I love this recipe so much! Real easy and so tasty! The lentils and rice cook so well and the caramelized onions are the best part! I am GF so this was perfect, and the spices make it delicious. My whole family adored this, thanks so much!<br /></li></ul>

Excellent! Best lentil dish I’ve ever had.

https://www.foodnetwork.com/videos/lentils-rice-and-onions-0239171

Aarti makes hearty Lebanese mujadara, Lentils, Rice and Caramelized Onions.

Lentils, Rice and Onions

Think pizza crossed with Middle-Eastern spices and you&#8217;ve got James Martin&#8217;s irresistible lamb flatbread recipe. Made with chilli and lots of fresh herbs it&#8217;s a taste-bomb of flavours. Looking for something else? Take a look at lots more of our flatbread recipes here.

Lebanese lamb flatbread

For the pizza dough

‘00’ flour,

fine semolina flour

salt

1½ tsp caster sugar

sachet fast-action yeast

water

For the topping

vegetable oil

shallot, finely chopped

garlic clove, finely chopped

tsp coriander

tsp cumin

tbsp baharat

British lamb mince

sultanas

chicken stock

milliliters natural yogurt

green chillies, finely chopped

mint

coriander

For the dough, put the flours, salt and sugar into a large bowl and stir. Mix the yeast with a little of the water in a jug to form a paste, then add the rest of the water to the jug so the yeast dissolves. Make a well in the centre of the flour and pour in the yeasted water, gradually mixing to form a soft dough. Tip out and knead on a lightly floured work surface until smooth and elastic.

Divide into 4 even pieces and roll into balls, then put on a tray, cover and leave to rise for 1 hour or until doubled in size.

Meanwhile, for the topping, heat a sauté pan, add the oil, shallot, garlic and spices, then fry for 2 minutes. Add the lamb and cook over a high heat, turning often and breaking up with a wooden spoon, until browned all over.

Add the sultanas and chicken stock and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until the mince is tender and the stock has nearly all evaporated. Taste and season with salt and pepper, then leave to cool.

Heat the oven to as high as it will go. Put a heavy baking tray or pizza stone in the oven to heat up.

Roll each piece of dough out on a lightly floured surface into an oval or oblong about 20cm x 15cm, and about 5mm thick, then put onto an upturned floured baking tray. Cover the bases with the lamb mixture, then evenly scatter with the yogurt and chillies and some seasoning.

Slide the flatbreads onto the hottray or stone (you may have to cook in batches). Bake for 5-10 minutes until golden and crisp. Scatter with the herbs and serve immediately.

Christina Perozzi from beerforchicks.com suggests the Deschutes Black Butte Porter from Bend, Oregon. It looks dark, but it has a light and bright body, nutty and smoky flavors, and a dry finish that will work perfectly with this snack.

Lebanese Meat-Stuffed Pitas (Arayes)

white onion,

garlic,

parsley

beef

tomato,

garam masala

pine nuts

pita (whole wheat

Extra-virgin olive oil,

In a food processor, combine the onions, garlic, and parsley until finely minced. Remove to a large bowl and add in the beef, tomato, garam masala, pine nuts, and lemon juice. Season with salt. Mix with your hands until well combined.

Arrange the pita quarters on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Fill each quarter with about 2 tablespoons of the meat mixture, flattening it out so the filling is even. Brush each quarter on both sides with a little olive oil. Sprinkle salt on top.

Bake for 20 minutes, turning once halfway through. Pitas should be browned and crispy.

Oh my goodness, these are yummy! Super greasy, but oh so worth it. One reviewer mentioned that theirs came out soggy. I wonder if they forgot to turn them over halfway through cooking? I noticed when I turned mine that the bottoms were really soggy, but they crisped right up after turning. 

I made this with ground turkey instead of beef but drizzled olive oil, kosher salt, and pepper on top of the pitas before baking. Delicious!<br />

Very good to eat. Was expecting a little more spice from arty.

This recipe didn't work. I followed it to a T and my arayes came out soggy, meat only barely cooked, and the bread too crisp/burnt. The onion quantity is too much and it SHOULD be noted in the recipe ahead of time that too much onion or tomato can make the arayes too soggy and leave them uncooked. Now we have wasted a lot of time and can't even eat the food. 

These were easy and quick to make.  I used 96% lean beef and the arayes came out of the oven very browned and crisp, but not soggy.  For the second batch I baked them for 9 minutes on each side and they were perfect.  I used an Arabic mix masala and it was the right mix of spices. Next time I might use a little more masala as my tastes run a little spicier, but my family loved the arayes just as the were.

These were amazing! My husband and kids all loved them. My family loves to dip so I made a tzatziki sauce to go with them. Loved the flavor of the garam masala and the nuts. 

https://www.foodnetwork.com/videos/meat-stuffed-pitas-0156672

These meat-stuffed pitas bake in a few minutes and disappear even faster.

Meat-Stuffed Pitas

Take your kebabs to the next level with this recipe for spiced lamb kebabs and chickpea puree.

Spiced lamb cutlets with chickpea puree

garlic cloves, finely chopped

lemons

harissa paste

French-trimmed lamb cutlets

tahini (sesame paste)

Warmed flatbread (such as Lebanese

20 minutes is all it takes to create this delicious and tasty meal.

Vegetable kebabs with grilled haloumi, garlic yoghurt and lemon rice

zucchini,

red capsicum,

punnets cherry tomatoes

Olive oil spray

haloumi, sliced 1cm-thick

brown rice

lemon

low-fat Greek-style yoghurt

tahini (sesame paste) (see note)

garlic clove, crushed

mint,

Mint leaves

https://resources.newscdn.com.au/cs/video/vjs/stable/build/index.html?id=5348771529001-5981817189001&=domain=del

5348771529001-5981817189001

A fresh tangy traditional Lebanese oregano salad. Perfect as a side salad, on it&#039;s own or with bread. Accidentally a vegan salad and gluten free.

Fresh Oregano Salad

Fresh oregano (Leaves only)

med White Onion (finely diced)

Olive Oil (extra virgin (to taste))

Lemon juice (fresh (to taste))

Salt (to taste)

Step One

Separate oregano leaves from stalks. Wash &amp; dry thoroughly

Step Two

In a mixing bowl, add fresh oregano leaves, finely diced onion, olive oil, fresh lemon juice, salt and toss salad together.

Step Three

https://embed.mediavine.com/videos/dkuiqmw5bsg081ytvbh9

A fresh tangy traditional Lebanese oregano salad. Perfect as a side salad, on its own or with bread. Accidentally, a vegan salad.

Mujadara hamra is a wholesome lentils and cracked wheat (bulgur) from the South of Lebanon. Vegan friendly

Mujadara Hamra (Lentils & Bulgur)

Brown lentils (best

Coarse cracked wheat (bulgur)

onions

Olive oil

Water

Step 1

Check lentils for stones that need to be discarded

Step 2

Wash and soak for a couple of hours (I do this to speed up the cooking process)

Pre cooking

Step 3

After soaking lentils, discard and wash lentils to rid any excess sediment

Step 4

Place lentils in a large pot with water, bring to boil

Step 5

Cover the pot of lentils and simmer over low heat about 10 minutes or until lentils are par cooked.

Step 6

Drain par cooked lentils in a colander and save liquid. You will use this later

Step 7

Sep 8

Cook the onions for about 30-40 minutes, stirring every few minutes until they are dark golden brown. (You&#x27;ll need to be patient for this step - the onions must be like this as the dish relies on the taste of the caramelised onion)

Step 9

Once onions are a dark golden colour, pour the liquid from the lentils into the onions and let it simmer for a couple of minutes to combine.

Step 10

Add the cooked lentils, salt (to taste) and cracked wheat (bulgur), stir through thoroughly.

Step 11

Cover the saucepan and cook over very low heat for 25-30 minutes.

Cooking

This dish is inspired by traditional Lebanese hashweh—which is the Arabic word for stuffing. Hashweh is generally made with onions, ground beef, spices and sometimes rice. It’s used for stuffing peppers, squash, grape leaves, potatoes, cabbage and chicken. It is also ideal for turkey. The fat from the ground beef lends delicious flavor to the bird, while the onions and spices provide a warm aroma perfect for the holidays.

Thanksgiving Hashweh

onion, chopped

seven-spice blend

black pepper

white basmati rice, rinsed

chicken broth

Toasted pine nuts,

In a large pot over medium heat, heat the olive oil. Add the onions and ground beef and cook until the onions are soft and the ground beef is browned, 5 to 8 minutes. Season with the seven-spice blend, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and the pepper and stir to combine. Add the rice and remaining 1 teaspoon salt and stir to combine. Pour the chicken broth on top and mix all the ingredients together. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover with a tight-fitting lid and simmer for 15 minutes, until the rice is fully cooked. Remove from the heat but keep covered and allow the steam to continue cooking the rice for 10 more minutes. Fluff the rice, sprinkle with pine nuts and fresh herbs and use as stuffing for turkey.

Fattet Batenjain translates to eggplant crumble and is a classic Lebanese dish made throughout the country with various twists. The dish is unique, delicious, healthy and vegetarian! Plus, it can be served as an entree or appetizer. It can also be prepared with lamb or shredded chicken instead of eggplant.

Tarik Fallous Fattet Battenjen, as seen on Taste Of.

Fattet Battenjen

eggplant (about 4 medium)

sea salt

yogurt

tahini

lemon, juiced

pomegranate molasses

loafs,

chickpeas

cumin,

fresh parsley, chopped

paprika

pomegranate seeds

sundried cranberries

unsalted butter, melted

pine nuts, toasted

mint leaves, for garnish (optional)

For the eggplant: Remove the tops from the eggplants and slice them the long way into 1-inch slices. Rub the sea salt on the flesh sides of each eggplant and place them into a strainer on top of a large bowl. Let them sit for an hour in a cool place.

Cut the eggplant into 1-inch cubes, all about the same size so that they will cook evenly.  

Heat the oil in a high-sided skillet over medium-high heat to 350 degrees F on a deep-fry thermometer. Line a plate with paper towels. 

Carefully drop one piece of eggplant into the oil, and when it starts to sizzle, add a few more handfuls. Working in batches, fry the eggplant until they are golden and crispy, stirring occasionally, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer the fried eggplant to the paper-towel-lined plate. 

For the tahini yogurt garlic sauce: Whisk the yogurt in a large bowl until smooth. Add the tahini, lemon juice, garlic, pomegranate molasses and sea salt and whisk until combined and smooth.  

For the layers: Lay the toasted pita chips on a platter, top with the chickpeas and sprinkle with the salt and cumin. Top with the fried eggplant, then pour over the yogurt sauce and top with the parsley. Sprinkle over the paprika, pomegranate seeds and cranberries. Top with the melted butter and toasted pine nuts. Garnish with mint leaves if using and serve. 

The ingredients are remarkable! I made it and it was simple but delicious.

This is amazing! Smoky eggplant flavours with fresh and creamy yogurt. I omit the chickpeas and serve it as a side with homemade falafel. Delicious!

https://www.foodnetwork.com/apps/api/playback?path=/etc/sni-asset/food/videos/7/75/756/7565/7565275

Tarik Fallous makes a unique and classic Lebanese dish of crumbled eggplant with a tahini yogurt sauce, layered with pita chips, chickpeas and pomegranate seeds.

Top 9 lebanese recipes recipes from across the web

The most viewed lebanese recipes recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine

Top Tags

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Fresh Oregano Salad

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Top 9 lebanese recipes recipes from across the web

The most viewed lebanese recipes recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Lebanese Lentils, Rice and Carameli...

Lebanese lamb flatbread

Lebanese Meat-Stuffed Pitas (Arayes...

Spiced lamb cutlets with chickpea p...

Vegetable kebabs with grilled halou...

Fresh Oregano Salad

Mujadara Hamra (Lentils & Bulgur)

Thanksgiving Hashweh

Fattet Battenjen

The most viewed lebanese recipes recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine