Megadarra is immensely popular in Egypt, as it is all over the Arab world (elsewhere it is pronounced mujadra and sometimes called mudardara). It is a modern version of a medieval dish called mujadarra, described by al-Baghdadi (see appendix) as a dish of the poor, and still referred to as Esau’s favorite. In fact, it is such a favorite that, although it is said to be for misers, it is a compliment to serve it. An aunt of mine used to present it regularly to guests with the comment “Excuse the food of the poor!”—to which the unanimous reply always was: “Keep your food of kings and give us megadarra every day!” The proportions of lentils and rice vary with every family. Large quantities of dark, caramelized onions are the best part. It is served either warm or cold, as a mezze or as part of a light meal, usually accompanied by yogurt.
Recipe information
Yield
serves 4 to 6
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Fry the onions slowly in a large pan over very low heat in 3–4 tablespoons of the oil—covered to begin with, until they soften, stirring often, and then uncovered—until they turn a rich golden brown.
Step 2
Rinse the lentils in cold water and drain. Cook in 4 1/2 cups water for 20 minutes. Add half of the fried onions and the rice to the lentils. Season with salt and pepper and stir well. Put the lid on and cook over very low heat for another 20 minutes, or until the rice and lentils are tender, watching and adding water if it becomes too dry.
Step 3
At the same time, put the remaining onions in the pan back on the fire, and continue to fry them, stirring often, over medium to high heat, until they are a dark brown—almost caramelized.
Step 4
Serve the lentils and rice cold or warm in a wide shallow dish with the onions sprinkled on top and the remaining raw oil poured all over.
Variations
Step 5
Add 1 tablespoon tomato paste and 1/2 teaspoon dried red-pepper flakes or a pinch of ground chili pepper to the water with the lentils.
Step 6
Add 1 teaspoon cumin and 1 teaspoon coriander to the cooking water, or 2 teaspoons dried mint.
Step 7
In another dish of rice and lentils, called masafi, the lentils are turned to a puree. Red lentils, which disintegrate easily, can be used for this.
