How to Make Middle Eastern Majadra

Rose Hassin has been cooking up a storm for family and friends to their ultimate delight. Majadra is a staple in her home and soon to be one in yours as well.

How to Make Middle Eastern Majadra My name is Rose Hassin. I live in Portland and I am here to show you a dish that we eat a lot, everybody seems to love it. It's a lentil and rice fish. It's a Middle Eastern dish and it's called Majadra. So, I will tell you how I make it. In front of me I have a bowl with sweet quarter cup of lentils which I will add a cup and a half of water. I will put it in the microwave oven for three minutes. I will chop up one large onion; chop it as small as you can. Watch your fingers. I will add two tablespoons of vegetable oil to the frying pan and stir them to make sure they don’t burn until they get light brown. There is not [Inaudible] onion so the color and consistency they should be. I will remove it from the flame and I will add it to the rice when I am ready. I took the lentils out of the microwave. As you can see, almost all of the water is absorbed. I put it in the microwave at high for three minutes. Some microwave may take longer. You have to check it after three minutes and if you see that the bottom is almost absorbed by the lentils and also taste it. They should be not very soft but a little bit soft. I will keep them in the bowl until I am ready to mix it with the rice. Now, I am going to take the rice which was soaking for three times and I will pour the water off. I am going to put rice and lentils into this casserole. I am adding the lentils to the rice and one tablespoon of salt. You can put more. You can taste it. If you need more, you can always add more. I add half of the onion to the rice now, mix it in and add the water. It is ready to be put into the oven. Cover it at 400 degrees and after 20 minutes, check it, surge and continue baking. After half an hour, check it again and see and taste the rice in, see if it's done. If it's almost done, turn off the over and leave it in the over because the over will stay hot for quite a while. And then it should be done in another 20 minutes. So, the whole process in the oven should take about 45 minutes but it depends on the oven. And so, I would check it to make sure it's not overcooked. If it's done, just take it out, take the lid off and served fluffy with a fork, not too much, wait until it's cooled down, otherwise, it will became mushy. That’s the whole thing. I hope you enjoy it. I just pulled this out of the oven. This is hot, so be careful. I will remove the lid and I will show you what it’s supposed to look like. Fluffy and almost dried, that’s the way it should be. It should be a little moist but no water and the rice of course should be done. That’s the whole process of doing this. I am glad I was able to do this for you. I make this for everyday dish. I hope you enjoy it. My name is Rose Hassin and I hope to see you again. Thank you.