Add to: Recipe Box | Grocery List | Meal PlannerRecipe submitted by Diana
InjudraIngredients (use vegan versions): 1/2 pound dry brown lentils
1 cup long grain rice (brown ok)
3 - 4 large onions
1/2 cup olive oil
salt, pepper and cumin to taste
Directions:Use a four quart pan. Boil lentils in two quarts of filtered water. Chop onions and begin sauteing in the olive oil; saute until completely browned (really and truly brown, which will take until the lentils and rice are done). When the lentils begin to get soft, add the rice and spices; cook until the mixture is dry. Pour the onion mixture over the lentils and rice and let the oil seep down through the mixture. Try not to stuff yourself.
Serves: 4-10.
Preparation time: 1 1/2 hr.
This recipe is my all-time favorite. My 84-year old sister makes this exact recipe for me at least once a week. I recommend it to the world. It is the healthiest and tastiest dish ever. It is especially great with pital vegan bread, or any othr kind of mid-east soft bread. One of my favorite ways to enjoy this delectable dish is to crunch taco chips into little pieces and spread them over the enjudra. Thanks, Diana for the recipe.
Archived comment by: peter
I absolutely loved this recipe, and so did my kids. I alos tried a variation with mushrooms added to the fried onions and it was fantastic. Thanks.
Archived comment by: muffy
I forgot to add: If desired, dollop on plain yogurt, this is the Arabic way.
Archived comment by: diana
The more onions the better - but - I like the onions golden with only a few brown spots - I also only use enough oil to get them cooked - and I like to mix the onions into the mixture - I eat this with good flat vegan bread and radishes and salad - I add some good extra virgin olive oil on my portion - no spices in this just salt yum
Archived comment by: terry
This has become a favorite recipe for us - its one of a handful of recipes we like to make when we have friends and family over. Everyone is astounded how simple the recipe is. When I first saw the recipe on here, I tried it because I was in the mood for lentils - I didn't believe it could be as good as the author made it sound. I was wrong. It usually takes a good hour for the onions to cook down. If I cook them any faster or slower, it just doesn't seem to be as good. Excellent with saltine vegan crackers. My brother and his wife commented that it had a meat-like texture.
Archived comment by: art
how many cups is 1/2 pound?
Archived comment by: granolagirl
1/2 lb. was just a little over a cup for me, I'm not sure if this is entirely accurate, but it seemed to work okay. We really liked this recipe with a lot of onions, naan and some lentil soup.
Archived comment by: happysarah
I made this for dinner. Takes a while but it is worth it! Has a good, rich flavor from the onions--make sure you take the time to cook them down right! My roomies friend was like what is that gross lookings stuff and took a bit and about died from how delish she found it. And it takes like little ingrediants too so that makes it even better.
Archived comment by: baypuppy
i have some questions about this recipe...first all, what kind of rice did everybody use? also, when the lentils are soft i add uncooked rice to the lentils and water and cook until dry? what if i use basmati, which doesn't need as much h20 as brown? should i remove some of the water? thanks for your tips. peace.
Archived comment by: moonshinecaroline
i used brown rice. i supose you could always cook the lentils and rice seperate and then mix them up.
Archived comment by: baypuppy
i made this the other night. its really delish! i didn't add anything else... it took a bit longer to cook than it said, but it was well worth it. tasted even better the next day.
Archived comment by: annabellepunk
This was really good! Simple, yet delicious!
Archived comment by: rockandrollgranny
This is absolute comfort food! So easy to make because of the few ingredients but it does take more effort for such a small recipe. I contstantly had to watch over the onions and mushrooms while sauteeing them, as well as the lentil/rice mix in case it ends up having that burnt taste. Nevertheless, it is a great dish. Even better when someone else does it for you while you wait in bed. Like I said, it is comfort food. I recommend this dish for those days when you are stuck in bed with the flu or something.
Archived comment by: jing035
Wow, I loved this! I cooked everything seperately though (because I cheat and use my rice cooker), I cooked the onions most of the way the night before and did the lentils in the pressure cooker because I'm very impatient! While the lentils were cooking I put the onions back on the stove to finish and it made the cooking time go down by at least half! Its a wonderful recipe! Thanks!
Archived comment by: katiebelle
Made this last night. I resisted the urge to toy with the recipe first time out, though I did add a teaspoon of garlic and a bay leaf to the lentil/rice mixture. This is a great recipe. I served it with cornbread. Its hearty with a nice clean flavor. I love it. This is sure to become a favorite, though I think I won't use as much oil next time. Might even add some curry to the onions to see what that's like, though this recipe is great as it is. Thanks for posting it. Even the omni husband liked it.
Archived comment by: tari
this is also good with a sprinkling of raisins or currants.
Archived comment by: rnr5000
Forgot to add that I thought 3-4 onions sounded like a lot so I only used 3 and I had lentil/rice mixture left over. So I made this again last night. Just sauteed more onions for the leftover lentil/rice mixture. In all I used 5 onions. I went ahead and added curry powder to the onions last night. That turned out lovely! The only instruction I couldnt follow was the last one. I couldnt help stuffing myself!
Archived comment by: tari
This was delicious, and very simple. I think the key is to really let the onions cook down and carmelize- I let mine cook for somewhere between 30-40 minutes. I used white long grain rice because that was all I had around, but I'm sure brown would be excellent too.
Archived comment by: veganosaurus
Did everyone who's made this really use 2 quarts of water for cooking the lentils? This seems like a lot of water.
Archived comment by: willwolf
willwolf - yes, I used 8 cups of water and left the pot uncovered the entire time. It worked perfectly.
Archived comment by: tari
Tari, thanks for responding so quickly. I just don't want to screw this up. One more question--you said you left the lid off the entire time--I'm assuming you left the lid off even after adding the rice? I was going to use brown rice--do you think it would be okay with the lid off? I've never cooked rice with the lid off. Thanks!
Archived comment by: willwolf
Willwolf - hmmm.....I would think it would be fine. I used basmati, not brown, but since the liquid measurements for both rices are nearly the same it should be fine. If you notice it getting kind of dry before the rice is cooked you could throw the lid on or just add bits of water until the rice is done.
Archived comment by: tari
Fantastic! I made a few adjustments, though. I sauteed 5 medium onions which I sliced into half moons in the olive oil (maybe a bit less). I added some cumin, salt, and a touch of cinnamon to the onions while cooking for close to an hour over medium heat. I added vegan chicken broth powder, salt, pepper, and cumin to the lentils and brown rice. I cooked mine with the lid on and less water (around 4 cups or so) for about 45 minutes to an hour (using brown rice). I topped this with the Sunflower Seed Sour Cream from this site. Absolutely to die for and so easy!!!
Archived comment by: willwolf
I think I'm addicted! I've already had to make this again because it is so easy and delicious. In addition to topping this with the Sunflower Seed Sour Cream recipe from this site, I also topped this with hot sauce. I would have never thought this recipe would be so incredible from such basic ingredients. You must try this!
Archived comment by: willwolf
You can also add sweet green peas. And you could probably add sauteed mushrooms as well. Its all good.
Archived comment by: bluesunday
i am new to cooking with lentils... how long should they cook alone before adding the rice? i can't wait to try this recipe. everyone has said such wonderful things about it. thanks.
Archived comment by: bdancer
bdancer--Boil the lentils for 15 minutes or so before adding the rice. The lentils should start softening before the rice goes in. Keep in mind lentils cook much faster than other legumes. I hope you enjoy this. I love it!
Archived comment by: willwolf
thanks willwolf! i have to tell you... i always look for your coments on each recipe because i always find them so helpful. i think this is the second or third question i have asked that you have answered. thank you again... i appreciate your help. bdancer
Archived comment by: bdancer
This was absolutely fantastic. The onions carmelized and got this amazing deep flavour that was just enhanced by the olive oil. I added some sage and some mushrooms to the onion/spice mixture before dumping it over the lentils and rice. This was a very welcome change from our usual lentils/rice/tomatoes meal. I served it with vegan biscuits and was completely unable to follow Dianas advice: I totally stuffed myself. I paired it with a nice ale and was in heaven.
Archived comment by: dornorozeto
