This recipe comes from my friend, ex-roommate and vegetablog author, Christine. I was inspired to make this recipe after chatting with one of my new mom friends about the fact that it makes great baby food.
Not the most photogenic of dishes but definitely a yummy, hearty and easy one. Mujuddra is a dish dish made of lentils and rice found in many different iterations around the middle east and Mediterranean. Christine used to make this when we were roommates and I was a vegetarian. Christine also taught me how to make my own hummos, recipe to be found on her blog.
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Christine's Mujuddra
Serves 4 as side dish, 2 as a meal. 20 minutes active time, 40 minutes cooking time.
Ingredients:
1 cup uncooked lentils, rinsed and picked over (sometimes tiny pebbles get in there)
4 cups water
1 large chopped onion
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 teaspoon cumin (+/- depending on taste)
salt, pepper (note: if you are making as baby food, you may want to omit or limit spices)
1/2 cup uncooked rice
1) Put the water and lentils in a pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium, and boil 20 minutes.
2) In a skillet, saute the chopped onion in the oil while the lentils are cooking. They will need to cook down.
3) After the 20 minutes have passed, add the rice, onions, oil and seasonings to the lentils.
4) Cover the pot and cook 20 more minutes, stirring occasionally. (Note that the mixture has a tendency to stick to the bottom of the pan.) The rice should cook thoroughly, if the mixture seems dry or rice uncooked, you may add more water. The texture should be somewhere between porridge and mashed potatoes.
5) Serve with hummos, yogurt and pita bread. You may garnish with a drizzle of yogurt and a pinch of chopped herbs.
For baby food, you may wish to mash or put in a blender or add a bit of water for your child. Unblended mixture is quite soft, but use your judgment on whether your child is ready for its unblended or unmashed texture.