This is a traditional Arab recipe of tender rice, lentils and sweet spices topped with golden nuts and cool yoghurt. A pile of crisp fried onions is a traditional but optional topping.
Serves: 6
INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon each ground cumin, cardamom, cinnamon, allspice and ground pepper
1 cup basmati rice, rinsed and drained
1 cup puy lentils, rinsed and drained
2½ cups water
½ teaspoon sea salt
To serve
½ cup sliced almonds, roasted
2 tablespoons pistachio nuts
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
METHOD
Heat the oil in a large saucepan and cook the onion and garlic with a good pinch of salt until soft. Stir in the spices and cook for 1 minute, then add the rice, lentils, water and salt and bring to the boil.
Give it a final stir then cover tightly and cook for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and leave covered for 10 minutes to finish the cooking process.
Transfer to a serving bowl and top with the nuts and parsley.
Menu: Serve with Slow-Cooked Spiced Shoulder of Lamb, Roasted Carrots with Yoghurt and Cracked Wheat and Winter Greens Salad with Mint Dressing.
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In Dream Escape, we journey from Japan and Morocco to Italy, India and beyond, sharing recipes inspired by travel, heritage and comfort. We celebrate the champions of the Outstanding Food Producer Awards, explore the stories and recipes of chefs shaped by their cultural roots, and warm up with everything from West African soups and slow-braised lamb to porchetta, butter chicken and beef noodle soup. Alongside destination menus, Scandinavian sweets and cosy pub classics, Chrisanne Terblanche shares her favourite street-side dining spots in Bangkok, while Yvonne Lorkin explores red wine varietals. This issue, we invite you to slow down, turn the pages and escape through food.