A Levantine dish of lentils and rice simmered with melting zucchini, crowned with a generous layer of crispy fried onions. A Lebanese peasant classic, nourishing and fragrant with cumin.
Ingredients
- 250 g green lentils
- 250 g long-grain white rice
- 600 g zucchini
- 700 g yellow onion
- 8 cl extra-virgin olive oil
- 15 cl neutral oil
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 2 tsp fine salt
- 1 l water
Method
- Peel the onions. Cut two-thirds of the onions into thin half-moons for frying; finely dice the remaining third for the base. Cut the zucchini into medium cubes of about two centimeters, without peeling them.
- Heat the neutral oil in a large skillet or heavy-bottomed Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onion half-moons with a pinch of salt and fry, stirring regularly, for twenty to twenty-five minutes, until they reach a deep golden brown color and a crispy texture. Watch them closely at the end of cooking: they go from golden to burnt quickly. Drain on paper towels and set aside.
- In the same Dutch oven, after removing the excess oil, sauté the diced onions in the olive oil over medium heat for five minutes, until translucent. Add the diced zucchini and sear for five minutes while stirring, until they begin to brown.
- Add the cumin and pepper, and stir for thirty seconds to toast the spices. Add the rinsed lentils, pour in the water, salt, bring to a boil, then reduce to low heat. Cook covered for twenty minutes: the lentils should be almost tender but still firm.
- Add the rinsed rice, stir, and check that the liquid covers the contents by about one centimeter (top up with a little hot water if necessary). Cover and cook over very low heat for fifteen to eighteen minutes, until the rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed. Do not stir during this cooking time.
- Fold half of the fried onions into the mixture with a spatula, adjust the seasoning, cover, and let rest for five minutes off the heat.
- Serve in a shallow dish or plates, generously crowning each portion with the remaining crispy fried onions. Traditionally serve alongside plain yogurt or a simple cucumber yogurt salad.
Nutrition
Per serving
- Energy
- 928 kcal
- Protein
- 13.77 g
- Carbohydrate
- 85.52 g
- Fat
- 59.49 g
- Fibre
- 11.29 g
- Calcium
- 138.99 mg
- Iron
- 7.51 mg
- Magnesium
- 126.24 mg
