Caramelized Onion and Lentil Pilaf
- Total Time
- 40 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
Advertisement
Ingredients
- 3tablespoons ghee (clarified butter) or vegetable oil
- 1onion, peeled, halved and thinly sliced into half-moons
- ½teaspoon turmeric
- 1teaspoon ground cumin
- 1teaspoon ground coriander
- 2cloves
- ½teaspoon mustard seeds
- 4dried curry leaves (optional)
- 2teaspoons salt
- Black pepper
- 1cup French green lentils
- 1cup basmati rice
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
301 calories; 8 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 5 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 48 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams dietary fiber; 2 grams sugars; 11 grams protein; 215 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered by
Opt out or contact us anytime. See our Privacy Policy.
Opt out or contact us anytime. See our Privacy Policy.
Preparation
- Step 1
In a large heavy-based saucepan, heat ghee over medium heat. Add onion slices, and sauté until softened and deep golden brown. Remove half the onions and set aside.
- Step 2
Reduce heat to medium-low and add turmeric, cumin, coriander, cloves, mustard seeds and curry leaves. Add salt, and season with black pepper to taste.
- Step 3
Combine lentils and rice in a fine-meshed sieve, and rinse well with cold water. Drain, then add to pan. Add 4 cups water, raise heat, and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to very low, and cook for 15 to 20 minutes. Water should be completely absorbed; if not, remove pan from heat, remove lid and cover pan with a kitchen towel, then replace lid and allow to stand for 10 minutes.
- Step 4
To serve, fluff pilaf with a fork, and transfer to a serving bowl. Garnish with reserved onions.
Private Notes
Comments
Hi. The solution to this problem of under-cooked lentils in a pilaf is to separately rinse them well, and cover them with water to soak until plumped, and then drained before adding to the pilaf. I'd say about 4 hours or so will do. The liquid in the recipe (water in this case), must then be adjusted; I would try reducing it to 3 C if soaking the lentils beforehand.
Yep, you absolutely must soak the lentils. A trick from my Pakistani mother-in-law is to soak them in hot water for about half an hour. Then they will cook up nicely with the basmati rice.
Love Nigella and her recipes, but this was a total failure. Lentil completely undercooked, even though I soaked them for almost an hour after reading the notes left her... And when I tried to cook them for longer, the rice disintegrated :(
Maybe starting the lentils and then add the rice when they’re about 20 minutes from being cooked. A similar recipe indicates cooking lentils to desired tenderness, then straining them out and using the same seasoned water to cook the rice.
The French green lentils were undercooked after I followed the recipe faithfully, as other cooks reported. The label on my yellow lentils gives a 15-20 minute cooking time, so I will substitute yellow for green lentils next time. Kathy in Ca suggested brown rice instead of white. Red rice requires 30 minutes cooking time. That is closer to the cooking time of green lentils, so that's another variation that might work.
Should have read the comments first. Rice is disintegrated & lentils are still toothy. Company will be here in an hour. Need to start over. I rely on star ratings when I choose on this app. I think this is a 1-2 star as written. Can’t expect the author to revise but I really appreciate you all rating the recipe as it is, not as you wish it would be.
Advertisement