This was
Mejadra.
It was another dish we made by adapting a recipe in our favorite "Jerusalem" cookbook. Lentils, basmati rice, and fried onion, a lot of onions! The recipe said "the fried onion, with its sweet oiliness and slight crunch, is the secret." It would be a secret that wasn't hidden. The onions were one of the major ingredients, everywhere in the dish. I made some fried onions for
basmati and wild rice with chickpeas, currants and herbs, which was one of the dishes of our last Jerusalem feast. That dish was wonderful, especially with some sweet crunchy fried onions. That time I fried only a medium onion. This time 4 medium onions.
At least I learned how to do it... did I? I guess not. I fried the first batch a little too long, which got very dark. I managed to make the second batch nice golden. The third batch was even better. There was the fourth batch, too. More I did, better I did.
With several spices like cumin, coriander, turmeric, allspice, cinnamon, and black pepper, the dish tasted like curry. We liked the dish, but the lentil's somewhat firm texture bothered J. Next day when I reheated leftover (yes, plenty!) of the dish slowly in the pan with some water, the lentils became smooth and creamy, which made J happy! Actually there was another Jerusalem dish served with this. To be continued...
