Mujadarra
250g green or brown lentils
4 medium onions (about 700g before peeling)
3 tbs plain flour
250ml grapeseed or sunflower oil
2 tsp cumin seeds
1 1/2 tbsp coriander seeds
200g basmati rice
2 tbs olive oil
1/2 tsp ground tumeric
1 1/2 tsp ground allspice
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp sugar
350ml water
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Place the lentils in a small saucepan, cover with plenty of water, bring to the boil and cook for 12-15 minutes over medium heat until the lentils have softened but still have a little bite, then drain.
Peel and slice the onions thinly. Place on a large flat plate, sprinkle with the flour and 1 tsp salt and mix well with your hands.
Heat the 250ml grapeseed oil in a medium heavy-based saucepan placed on a high heat. Make sure the oil is hot by throwing in a small piece of onion; it should sizzle vigorously. Reduce the heat to medium high and carefully (it may spit) add 1/3 of the onions. Fry for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally with a slotted spoon, until the onion takes a nice golden-brown colour and turns crispy (adjust the temperature so the onion doesn’t fry too quickly and burn). Use your spoon to transfer into a colander lined with absorbent paper and sprinkle with a tiny amount of salt. Do the same with the remaining two batches of onion. Add a little extra oil if needed.
Wipe clean the saucepan in which you fried the onion and add the cumin and coriander seeds. Place on a medium heat and toast the seeds for a minute or two. Add the rice, olive oil, turmeric, allspice, cinnamon, sugar, 1/2 tsp salt and plenty of black pepper. Stir to coat the rice with oil and then add the cooked lentils and the water. Bring to the boil, cover with the lid and simmer on a very low heat for 15 minutes.
Remove from the heat, lift the lid and quickly cover the saucepan with a clean tea towel. Seal tightly with the lid and set aside for 10 minutes.
Finally, add half the fried onion to the rice and lentils and stir gently with a fork. Pile up in a shallow serving bowl and top with the rest of the onion.