Rice & Grains

Arabic Food Made Easy Series: Mjaddara [Brown Lentils and Rice]

categories: 500 Calories or Less, Arabic Food Made Easy, Posts, Recipes, Rice & Grains

Mjaddara

Let’s face it, Arabic food takes forever to make. There are lots of steps and long cooking times, time I don’t have when I’m working full time and trying to conserve my culture simultaneously. That’s why I’ve decided to start a recipe series featuring traditional Arabic dishes, made much easier for those of us that have full time jobs and prefer to keep weekday cooking to 30 minutes or less. This is the third installment of the series. Don’t forget to check out previous posts in the Arabic Food Made Easy Series.

Mjaddara pronounced EM-JADARA isn’t really a hard dish to make. It’s quite simple, actually and is perfect for those “vegetarian days.” You know, at least once or twice a week when you have dinner sans meat. The last time I made mjaddara it turned out great, despite my issues cooking rice. I had a small problem though, mjaddara is usually served with plain yogurt. The last time, I had picked up nonfat vanilla yogurt instead of nonfat plain yogurt. It was a small disaster — but now I pay extra attention at the grocery store.

Mjaddara  

Mjaddara

Mjaddara Recipe

 

Ingredients

1 cup Brown Lentils
2 cups Basmati Rice
1 medium Onion
Salt, to taste
1 tablespoon Cumin
1 tablespoon Cardamom
1 tablespoon Seven Spice
Vegetable Oil
 

Directions

Go through the brown lentils, picking out any stones or dirt then wash them and boil them in a pot until they are soft and edible (15 minutes on medium heat.)
Wash the rice three times, then soak in hot water until the lentils are done.
Cut the onion into long strips and fry in vegetable oil until golden brown. Remove half with a slotted spoon.
Drain the water from the lentils and from the rice as well. Place the rice on top of the lentils in the pot and mix together.
Add a teaspoon of vegetable oil, and mix the ingredients together over medium heat for two minutes.
Add salt, pepper, cumin, and cardamom and seven spice.
Cover with hot water (1 cm above the mixture). Once it boils, cover and let simmer on low heat until the water evaporates (about 25 minutes).
Turn over (like a cake) in a big plate, and cover the top with the fried onion stripes.
Serve with plain yogurt. 
 

Servings: 4

Nutrition Information: Cals 352. Carbs 46g. Fat 14g. Protein 12g.

Sabanekh w Roz [Spinach and Rice Stew]

categories: 500 Calories or Less, Arabic Food Made Easy, Posts, Recipes, Stews, Vegetables & Sides

Since I was a kid, I remember weeknight meals at our household consisting of a variation of stews with a side of white rice. Since my mom worked full time, it was easiest for her to just through together one of these super easy stews, simmer while she helped us with our homework, and end up with a delicious, healthy meals.

I never understood how kids don’t  like vegetables. For us, these stews consist of primarily vegetables and sometimes beef or lamb. Vegetables were delicious. It wasn’t until late elementary school that I realized I had been eating okra, green beans, peas, eggplant, zucchini and spinach and loving it. I can’t say the same for kids these days- they cringe at the thought of broccoli.

I had a couple packages of frozen spinach and stew meat that needed to be used up.

I’ve been having a serious issue with rice – it’s always either overcooked or undercooked. I’m not really sure what’s going on. I followed my grandmother’s recipe exactly. I guess I’ll just have to keep practicing.

 

 

 

Sabanekh w Roz [Spinach and Rice Stew]

Ingredients

3 10 oz. packages of Frozen Chopped Spinach
1 lb. cubed Beef Stew Meat
1 medium Onion, chopped
3 tbsp. Olive Oil
Sea Salt
Nutmeg
Cinnamon
Allspice
Lemon Juice, to taste
5 cups of water

 

For rice: 1 cup Jasmine Rice, 1 ½ cups Water 20-30 minutes.
 

Directions

Heat olive oil and sauté onion until brown.
Add the meat and brown.
Add water and spices to taste. I didn’t specify the spice measurements since I didn’t really measure them.
Boil until the meat is tender, then add the spinach.
Once it boils, add lemon juice and summer for 25 minutes.

 

For the rice:
Add 1 ½ cups water to 1 cup jasmine rice, once it boils, turn to low, cover and cook for 30 minutes.  [I suggest you start the rice as the spinach is simmering so that they’re done at about the same time].
 

 

Servings: 6

Nutrition Information [without rice]: Cals 181. Carbs 9g. Fat 4g. Protein 20g. Sodium 272mg. Sugar 2g.

 

Chicken and Rice Chile Verde

categories: Chicken, Posts, Recipes, Rice & Grains

 

 

I don’t do much cooking with rice, which is kind of ironic considering most Arabic dishes are stews that require rice on the side. I should be making more stews like Bamiya (okra and meat in tomato sauce), Fasoolia (string beans and meat in tomato sauce), and Sabanekh (spinach with rice) but those dishes take way too long on weeknights.

When I came across this Chicken and Rice Chile Verde recipe by Cooking on the Side, I was excited to try something new. Actually, it was delicious. I would definitely make it again.

Recipe adapted from Cooking on the Side.

 

Chicken and Rice Chile Verde Recipe

Ingredients

1-1/4 cup Chicken Broth
4 large Chicken Thighs (about 1-1/2 lb), skin and excess fat removed
1 medium Onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
1 clove Garlic, minced or pressed
3/4 cup Calrose Rice (short-grain sushi style rice) If you use other rice, you may need to adjust chicken broth accordingly
1 (4 oz) can Diced Green Chilies
1/2 teaspoon Oregano, dried
1 cup Frozen Peas, thawed
1/4 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese
 

Directions

Heat a large frying pan over high heat.
Lightly coat the inside of the pan with cooking spray.
Add chicken in a single layer.
Cook 3 to 4 minutes on each side, or until browned. Remove from pan.
Add onion and garlic to the same pan; sauté 30 seconds.
Mix in rice, chiles, oregano and chicken broth. Arrange the chicken, in a single layer, over the top. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to low.
Cover and simmer 25 minutes.
Sprinkle the peas over the chicken.
Cover and cook 5 minutes longer, or until the liquid is absorbed.
Remove from heat; let stand covered 10 minutes.
Sprinkle cheese on top. 

Servings = 4