- Mujaddara
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Mujaddara or moujadara[1] (Arabic: مجدرة mujadarah; Hebrew: מג'דרה; Cypriot Greek: Μουκ̌έντρα; Turkish: müceddere), also known as mejadra, mudardara, or megadarra, consists of cooked lentils together with groats, wheat or rice, garnished with roasted onions that have been sauteed in vegetable oil.
Contents
Middle East
Cooked lentils are popular all over the Middle East and form the basis of many dishes. Mujaddara is a popular Levantine, Israeli, and northern Saudi dish, and may be served on its own or with other vegetables and side dishes, either hot or cold.
It has two variants: yellow, which uses red split lentils, and brown, which uses green lentils.
In Lebanese cuisine, a distinction is sometimes made between mudardara and mujaddara, depending on whether the lentils are puréed or left whole, but usage is not consistent.
Mujaddara is also popular among Jewish communities of Middle Eastern origin, in particular those of Syrian and Egyptian backgrounds; it is generally made with rice rather than wheat. It is sometimes nicknamed "Esau's favourite", after the Biblical story of Esau selling his birthright for a "mess of pottage".[2] Jews traditionally ate it twice a week: hot on Thursday evening, and cold on Sunday.[3]
Similar dishes
In Egyptian cuisine, lentils, rice, macaroni, and tomato sauce cooked together are known as kushari. In Indian cuisines, lentils cooked together with rice are known as khichdi (see also kedgeree).
In literature
The comforting quality of the humble dish plays an important role in Ameen Rihani's novel The Book of Khalid (1911), the first Arab-American novel.
References
Footnotes
- ^ Lebanese Recipes (website)
- ^ Roden.
- ^ Dweck, Poopa, Aromas of Aleppo.
Notation
- Roden, Claudia, A New Book of Middle Eastern Food: London 1986 ISBN 0-14-046588-X
External links
- Mujaddara recipe
- Wikibooks recipe (Israel/Palestine)
- Wikibooks recipe (Lebanon)
- Mujaddara recipe and nutrition facts
Categories:- Middle Eastern cuisine
- Rice dishes
- Legume dishes
- Lentil dishes
- Arab cuisine stubs
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