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I have been on quite a lentil kick lately. First there was palak daal, then lentils with bacon and now mujaddara.
Mujadarra is a lentil dish with rice (or wheat) and cooked onions that is often found in many Levantine cuisines. I have always loved the flavors of Lebanese (and it’s neighbor’s) cooking, and after a two-part trip to Beirut courtesy of No Reservations and Netflix, I couldn’t get that food out of my head.
So I decided I would make Smitten Kitchen’s Lebanese-style stuffed eggplant which I first recalled eyeing way back when, but then the sun came out and it seemed a bit heavy.
The ground lamb could easily become lamb meatballs and a mujadarra that I spotted on Food 52 seemed to be the perfect compliment. Bonus that the spiced yogurt from the lentil dish would also work with the meatballs. Perfect!
This was my first time making mujadarra, but it will definitely become a regular addition to meals around here.
Man, I forgot how good jasmine rice is! Thankfully the lentils upped the ‘health’ ante, so I didn’t feel too bad about having a big heaping of white rice. And with the charred onions, yes please!
As for the spiced yogurt, I didn’t have fresh cumin or any coriander, nor spiced paprika, so I added a pinch of cayenne to regular paprika, went with ground cumin and threw in some sumac, which is often found in Middle Eastern dishes. To be honest, it was a teeny-bit gritty, almost like the ratio of spices was too heavy, but I think freshly ground could’ve eliminated that, and maybe the sumac wan’t really needed. So all that means is the original recipe I gather was better than my substitutions. 
I have been trying to add to my spice cupboard, so I am excited to try it next time with my new aleppo pepper.
A quick side note about the meatballs, Read the rest of this entry »
