The story of a Lebanese dish turned into a salad.

Moudardara stands for Lebanese lentils mixed with rice, topped with a lot of caramelized onions and flavored with cumin spice. Could be eaten both hot and chilled.

I had never tried it in my life even though my mom used to make it [I think I have a problem with the Lebanese lentils because I do not mind the French ones: Puy Lentils]. My husband loves lentils in general, so I decided to try cooking the Moudardara for him… and the funny part is that I ended up eating it.
The Moudardara is easy and fast to prepare; but I find it to be dull in the plate and I would certainly not categorize it as a main dish.

To make peace with it I decided to transform it into a SALAD!!

I tossed some grilled and raw vegetables on the Moudardara plate, some feta cheese and lemon-oil dressing: it turned out fulfilling, refreshing and delicious for dinner or a quick lunch at work!

First, let me introduce you to my Moudardara recipe and then how to make it into a Salad.
Remember, you can add any vegetable you like or have in the fridge!

Ingerdients for the Moudardara:
150g Brown Lentils
100g Basmati Rice washed
3 cups of water
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp bbBlack pepper
2 tsp Cumin
2 medium Onions
2 tbs Vegetable Oil

1. Wash the lentils and put them in a pot and add 2 cups of water. Cover the pot and cook the lentils for 10-15 minutes until the lentils become soft (add more water if necessary).
2. Meanwhile, put the sliced onions in a non-sticky cooking pan with the vegetable oil, keep stirring until they become golden brown (no need to add sugar) and keep them aside to cool.
3. Once the lentils are ready, add the rice to the pan with the remaining cup of water.
4. Sprinkle the cumin, salt, black pepper; mix and cover the pot with the lid and cook for maximum 8 minutes or until rice becomes soft. Make sure it stays fluffy (a bit al dente)
5. Garnish the rice and lentils with the caramelised onions before serving.

Ingredients for the Moudardara Salad:
6 Cherry tomatoes cut in halves
1 Carrot cut in slices and grilled
1/2 Lettuce
1 Nectarine
50g Feta Cheese
Handful of Pomegranate seeds
1 lemon juice
2 tbs olive oil

>> Just toss all the ingredients with the chilled Moudardara and serve it with lemon-oil dressing
No need to add salt and pepper since the Moudardara will already have a strong flavor.

Bon appetite!
The Urban Apron