mdardra jnoubiyeh southern spiced black lentils with bulgur and crispy onion recipe by sarah trad

In Arabic, ‘jnoubiyeh’ means ‘from the south’, and most Lebanese dishes have a southern variation, as this is where you’ll find some of the country’s best food. Mdardra is normally made with lentils and rice, but this version uses coarse brown bulgur instead of rice and is topped with lots of crispy fried onion. At Beit Trad we love to serve it with orange segments and yoghurt on the side.

Serves 6

INGREDIENTS 

400g dried black lentils 

100g coarse brown bulgur 

2 tsp fine sea salt 

1 1/2 tsp ground cumin 

1 tsp ground cinnamon 

1 tsp ground all space 

1/2 tsp white pepper 

1/2 tsp sugar (optional) 

Infused onion water 

1 onion 

150ml neutral oil 

Crispy fried onion

1 onion 

2 tbsp plain flour 

Fine sea salt 

To serve 

Orange segments 

Thick greek-style yogurt 

METHOD

To prepare the infused onion water, finely chop 1 onion. Heat 150ml neutral oil in a pot over medium-high heat, add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally for about 20 minutes, until dark brown. Drain the oil into a medium-sized pot or frying pan, then set aside for cooking the crispy fried onion. To the onion pot, add 300ml water and bring to a simmer for 5 minutes to infuse the water with onion flavour. Set the infused onion water aside. 

To cook the lentils, place 400g of black lentils in a fine-meshed sieve and rinse thoroughly under cold running water. Drain well, place in a large pot and add enough water to cover by about 5cm. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Drain off the excess water, leaving the lentils in the pot. 

To finish the mdardra add the infused onion water to the cooked lentils. Rinse 100g bulgur in a fine-meshed sieve, then add to the lentils. Stir in 2 tsp fine sea salt, 1 1/2 tsp cumin, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp all spice and 1/2 tsp white pepper. Cook over low heat for another 15 minutes, or until the bulgur is tender. Adjust the seasoning as needed. If the mdardra tastes too bitter, stir in 1/2 tsp of sugar. 

To prepare the crispy fried onion, while the mdardra is simmering, heat the researched onion oil (from the infused onion water) over medium heat until the oil registers 180 degrees Celsius on a kitchen thermometer. Alternatively, test the temperature with the ends of a wooden spoon: when the oil is hot enough, bubbles will rise around the edges. Peel 1 onion and cut into thin half-moons. Sprinkle with 3 tbsp flour and toss to coat evenly, shaking off the excess flour. Fry the onion strips in the hot oil for 7–10 minutes, until golden brown. Drain on paper towels, sprinkle with fine sea salt while still hot and briefly set aside. The onion will become darker and crispier as it cools

Serve the mdardra warm, scattered with the crispy fried onion. You can also top the mdardra with a few orange segments to contrast the spices, and serve with a dollop of thick yoghurt.

This is an edited extract from Beit Trad by Sarah Trad, as told by Gilles Khoury, published by Thames & Hudson Australia, $69.99.