lentil rice

Adas Polo - Persian Lentil Rice is perfect for a weeknight meal. Rice and lentils served with delicious beef and raisins make the perfect healthy meal!

Adas Polo – Persian Lentil Rice

lentils

water

vegetable oil

onion (finely chopped)

beef

turmeric

cinnamon

salt

saffron

raisins

Medjool dates (pitted)

water (divided)

basmati rice (washed and drainedrice)

½ teaspoon 1½ teaspoons salt

vegetable oil (divided)

potatoes (sliced)

bloomed saffron

Cook the lentils in a pot of boiling water over medium heat for 20 minutes, until they are half cooked. Drain and rinse with cold water. Set aside.

In a large pan, heat the vegetable oil. Sauté the onion until it’s golden. Add the ground beef and cook until it’s light brown. Add the turmeric, cinnamon, salt, and bloomed saffron. Stir until ground beef is cooked completely. Set aside.

Wash the raisins and spread them on a kitchen towel. Dry them, then place them in a small heat-proof bowl. Set aside.

To make the filling

Pour 6 cups of water in a large nonstick pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the rice and salt, and boil about 10 minutes. Check one grain with your fingers by pressing it between your thumb and index finger; you should be able to break the grain but it should still be firm. Add the drained lentils to the pot and boil for 30 seconds.

Place a colander in clean sink and drain the rice and lentils. Place the pot back on medium heat. Make sure the bottom of the pot is dry. Heat 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil in the pot and place the potato slices in the bottom of the pot so they cover the bottom entirely.

Scoop 1/3 of the rice into the pot and layer 1/3 of the beef mixture on top of the rice. Repeat with the remaining rice and filling. Carefully pour 1/3 cup of water around the edges of the pot. Wrap the lid in a clean towel and put it on the pot. Let the rice cook for 20 minutes, until the steam starts to escape from the bottom of the pot. Pour 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil on the rice. Place the bowl of raisins and the dates on top of the rice. Cover and steam for 10 minutes more.

In a small bowl, mix 1 cup of the lentil rice with 2 tablespoons of bloomed saffron. Serve the lentil rice in a large platter, topped with dates, raisins, and the saffron lentil rice.

Serve with herb platter or plain Greek yogurt on the side.

To make the rice

https://mediavine-res.cloudinary.com/video/upload/t_original/v1505144792/cu920rilrxoyzep0mgml.mp4

Adas Polo – Persian Lentil Rice is perfect for a weeknight meal. Rice and lentils served with delicious beef and raisins make the perfect healthy meal!

In this classic Middle Eastern Mujaddara recipe, humble lentils and rice are seasoned with warm spices and fried onions for a tasty and satisfying dish!

Mujaddara Recipe: Spiced Lentils, Rice and Fried Onions

brown lentils

onions

all-purpose flour

olive oil (divided)

cumin seeds

basmati rice

allspice

Cinnamon

sugar

Coriander

¼ teaspoon Ground Black Pepper

Place the lentils in a medium saucepan along with enough water to cover by two inches. Bring to a boil and cook for 10 to 12 minutes, until the lentils have softened slightly but still have some bite to them. Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat the vegetable oil in a large pot set over medium-high heat to reach a consistent deep-fry temperature (375 degrees). Peel and slice the onions into thin rings. Place the onions in a large bowl and break the rings up with your hands (you should have about six cups). Toss the onions with the flour to evenly coat.

In a 4 quart or larger pot, heat the two teaspoons of olive oil along with the cumin seeds over medium heat for 2 minutes to toast. Stir in the rice, remaining two tablespoons of oil, the allspice, cinnamon, sugar, coriander, and turmeric. Add 1 ¾ cups of water along with the boiled lentils. Allow the mixture to come to a light boil over medium heat, then immediately cover the pot and simmer on the lowest heat setting for 15 minutes.

While the mejadra is cooking, work in batches to fry the onions.  Carefully lower one quarter of the onion rings into the hot oil, a small handful at a time, and fry for 3 to 4 minutes, until deeply brown and crispy. Strain from the oil with a metal utensil and place on a paper towel-lined sheet to drain. Allow the oil to return to deep fry temperature and repeat with remaining onions until all have been fried.

Once the mejadra has simmered for 15 minutes, turn off the heat, quickly wrap the pot lid in a towel and place securely over the mouth of the pot. Allow to steam in the pot for 15 to 20 minutes, until rice and lentils are cooked through.

Stir half of the fried onions into the mejadra mixture. Transfer to a serving plate and top with remaining fried onions. Serve warm or at room temperature.

This lentil rice is an easy, healthier, higher-protein alternative to plain white rice, with the addition of both red lentils and quinoa.

Lentil Rice

dried split red lentils

white rice

quinoa

Soak the split red lentils for 1 to 2 hours, then drain and add to your rice cooker along with the rice. If cooking in a pot on the stove, soak the white rice with the lentils before draining and adding to the pot.

Toast the quinoa in a dry pan over medium-high heat for 5 minutes, tossing frequently, or until it is a couple of shades darker and you start to hear a light crackling/popping sound. Don’t walk away from the pan, as the quinoa burns easily. Add the quinoa to the rice cooker or pot.

If using a rice cooker, fill the water to the “3” line and turn the rice cooker on. If cooking on the stovetop, add 3 cups of water to the pot. Partially cover the pot and bring it to a boil over medium-high heat. Immediately reduce the heat to low, cover tightly, and cook for about 15 minutes. Take a peek at the 12-minute mark to make sure the bottom of the pan isn't getting scorched. Then turn off the heat and let the rice “rest” in its own heat for another 10 minutes to further absorb moisture.

Fluff the lentil rice with a rice paddle, and serve!

I didn't love this, kind of mushy, but I get the message, look for alternatives to white rice.

If your quinoa has "little tails", its sprouting. Probably either old, or soaked too long.  As far as I know, it's not meant to be sprouting when you use it. Can you provide any clarification, @ROSE? I have heard that sprouted grains can be very healthy

This was very good. I love all the variations on white rice, so that we don't have to resort to the dreaded sauce repelling, chew on this forever, brown rice! I use that for my dogs' meals: not for myself. I do add salt to the water in the rice cooker, because I prefer my rice to be deeply seasoned from the beginning of cooking. Depending on what I'm serving it with, I might toss the cooked rice with some roasted sesame oil. I know that purists would shrink from this, but it amps up the flavour. Sometimes, I even use MSG (gasp!)
I am so happy to have a rice blend that mitigates the high glycemic index of white rice, along with the additional protein and fibre of the lentils and quinoa. My husband was recently diagosed with type 2 diabetes, so this recipe is especially welcome.
Thanks Judy! Thumbs up to your rice experiments!

Thank you David. You've a lot of research and I appreciate your sharing.

I would like to recommend more people meal prep brown rice cooked with regular brown lentils and some split soybeans and freeze the excess in 1-2 meal -sized containers.  This reheats well sprinkled with water and covered in the microwave.  This greatly ups your fiber and protein intake as well as reducing the glycemic index (GI).  I make a big batch of brown rice and add brown lentils and some spilt soybeans (no need to soak) in an electric pressure cooker, adding about 1 extra cup of water to the embossed side cup markings (mine is a Thai made pressure cooker, all are different).  I use 15min of pressure, and a full natural release— and usually a bit longer.

Can I use brown rice? Very interesting alternative.

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Adas Polo – Persian Lentil Rice

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Lentil Rice

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