Thing Twenty-Two: Mujaddara

Mujaddara is one of those dishes that's incredibly easy to whip up from pantry items, and as such, makes for a great "I didn't plan anything for dinner" dinner. Tonight, I actually planned to have it, though, because it just sounded like exactly what I wanted to eat. I discovered it some time ago, can't remember exactly when. In its basic form, it's a pilaf made with lentils and rice. Sometimes, bulgur is used instead of rice, and that's my personal preference. It's frequently either mixed or topped with caramelized onions, which add a wonderful contrasting rich sweetness. I like mine mixed in, so you can easily get a little in every bite. To top it, I usually use a squeeze of fresh lemon juice (if I have it, bottled if I don't) and a drizzle of good-quality extra virgin olive oil. I cook the lentils and bulgur in chicken broth (I always have Better Than Bouillon or the Penzey's equivalent in the fridge), and spice them with a little cumin and cinnamon.

Now, as you can imagine, this is not the prettiest of dishes. It's brown, with brown and brown. Tonight, I decided to make it a little more photogenic, though (and more alliterative, I guess), by adding some pine nuts, pomegranate seeds, and parsley on top. The garnishes added a nice flavor as well as making it more colorful.