Levant: Recipes and memories from the Middle East. Anissa Helou
(3½fl oz) extra-virgin olive oil
3 medium-sized onions, peeled and finely chopped
50g (2oz) short-grain white rice (bomba, Calasparra or Egyptian), rinsed under cold water and drained
1 tsp ground cinnamon or ground cumin
1 tsp ground allspice or Lebanese seven-spice mixture
½ tsp finely ground black pepper
Sea salt
Drain and rinse the lentils and put in a very large saucepan with 4 litres (7 pints) of water. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to medium – give the lentils a good stir in case some have stuck to the bottom of the pan – and leave the pot to bubble gently for 1 hour or until the lentils are tender and the water has reduced by two-thirds.
In the meantime, put the olive oil in a frying pan, place over a medium heat and when the oil is hot, fry the sliced onions until they become soft and transparent. Using a slotted spoon, transfer half of the softened onions onto a plate and continue frying the rest until they caramelise and turn a rich dark brown, without actually letting them burn. Remove with the slotted spoon and place on several layers of kitchen paper, spreading them out in a thin layer so that they drain well and become crisp.
When the lentils are cooked, add the rice to the pan. Tip in the softened onions and their frying oil, and season with the spices and a little salt. Simmer uncovered for 20 minutes, stirring regularly, until the rice is done and the mixture has thickened, but without letting it dry out. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Immediately pour the lentils and rice into a shallow serving bowl or into four deep plates, and allow to cool. Scatter the caramelised onions over the lentils before serving at room temperature.
Rice and Lentils
MUDARDARAH
The ingredients are more or less the same as for mujaddarah but the end result is very different – more like a risotto than a purée. I believe my mother learned to make this dish from my aunt Zahiyeh, with whom we spent our summers in Mashta el-Helou in the Syrian mountains. In those days, only members of the family lived there, but now it is an over-developed bustling summer resort where people flock from all over Syria, Lebanon and elsewhere to enjoy the cool mountain breezes, lush vegetation and beautiful views. As for my aunt, she is long gone but I still remember her when I make this dish, and many others besides. She often replaced the rice with burghul. If you decide to make mudardarah with burghul instead of rice, you need to use the coarse variety and reduce the quantity to 100g (3½oz) while increasing the quantity of lentils to 200g (7oz). The rest of the recipe remains the same.
Serves 4
150g (5oz) brown lentils, soaked for 30 minutes in cold water (enough to cover the lentils by 2–3 fingers)
150ml (5fl oz) extra-virgin olive oil
3 medium-sized onions (about 300g/11oz total weight), peeled and thinly sliced
150g (5oz) short-grain white rice (bomba, Calasparra or Egyptian), rinsed under cold water and drained
½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground allspice or Lebanese seven-spice mixture
½ tsp finely ground black pepper
Sea salt
Drain and rinse the lentils, then put in a large saucepan. Add 2 litres (3½ pints) of water and place over a medium-high heat. Bring to the boil then reduce the heat to medium. Give the lentils a good stir in case some have stuck to the bottom of the pan, cover with a lid and simmer for 30–45 minutes or until the lentils are nearly cooked.
While the lentils are cooking, heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. (To check that the oil is hot, dip in an onion slice; if the oil bubbles around it, it is hot enough.) Fry the sliced onions until they caramelise and turn a rich brown, but without letting them burn. Remove three-quarters of the onions with a slotted spoon and leave to drain on a double layer of kitchen paper. Spread them thinly so that they drain well and become crispy.
Add the rice to the lentils, then season with the spices and a little salt and bring back to the boil. Reduce the heat, stir in the onions left in the frying pan, and their oil, then replace the lid on the saucepan and simmer for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat, wrap the lid in a clean tea towel, put it back over the pan and leave to sit for 5 minutes.
Stir the lentils and rice before transferring to a serving dish. Scatter the crisped onions over the top before serving hot with a white cabbage salad. You can serve this dish tepid or even cold, in which case it’s best to garnish with the crisped onions at the last minute or they will go soft in the steam rising from the lentils.
Pumpkin Dip
MUTABBAL QARA’
This dip comes from my wonderful Palestinian singer friend Reem Kelani, with whom I cooked when I wanted to learn more about Palestinian food. Reem made the dip with pumpkin, although I prefer to use butternut squash because the colour is more intense and the texture creamier and less watery – she also does this now; we seem to have come to the same conclusion separately. If you are going to use pumpkin, however, be sure to buy the right kind and avoid the stringy type. Kabocha, a winter squash rather like butternut that is also known as Japanese pumpkin, is my favourite. Reem made a quick harissa to garnish the dip, using dried pepper flakes and a little tomato paste, but you can use regular harissa or, even better, Turkish or Aleppo pepper paste diluted with a little olive oil.
Serves 6
1kg (2lb 2oz) kabocha or butternut squash, peeled, deseeded and cut into chunks
1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed
125ml (4½fl oz) tahini
Juice of 1 lemon or to taste
Sea salt
To garnish
Extra-virgin olive oil
Few sprigs of flat-leaf parsley, most of the stalk discarded, finely chopped
Pinch of ground cumin (optional)
Pepper paste (optional)
Steam the squash for about 40 minutes or until very soft. Leave it to drain in a colander until cold, pressing down on it, if necessary, to get rid of excess liquid. Put the cooked squash in a food processor. Add the garlic, tahini, lemon juice and a little salt, and process until smooth. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.
Transfer the dip to a shallow serving bowl. Make a groove inside the outside rim of the bowl and drizzle olive oil into the groove. Garnish with some chopped parsley and a pinch of cumin (if using). Spread a spoonful of pepper paste (if using) across the middle and serve with flatbread.
Cabbage and Tomato Salad
SALATET MALFUF WA BANADURAH
One of my favourite salads, this is often served with mujaddarah. You can make it just with cabbage, simply dressed with lemon juice, crushed garlic and olive oil, or you can add diced tomatoes, which my mother often did in summer when the tomatoes were at their best, and which I’ve done here, using cherry tomatoes for their more reliable flavour. I no longer add garlic to my dressing because I don’t want to impose my garlic breath on others, but I have left it in the recipe for those who prefer to use it. The best cabbage to use here is either pointed spring cabbage, which I buy organic, or the flat Middle Eastern variety, which is even more tender but