Best Spicy Lentil Rice Pilaf Recipes

MIDDLE EASTERN RICE (MEJADRA)

Steps:

• Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium high heat. Add about 1/3 of the onions and cook for 5 minutes until golden and crispy. Drain on paper towels.
• Repeat with remaining onions, in two batches.
• Put the olive oil, cumin seeds and coriander in a saucepan over medium heat.
• Cook for a couple of minutes until the spices are fragrant.
• Add the rice and stir to coat with the oil and spices.
• Add the water and lentils.
• While it comes to boil, add all the other spices, salt and pepper.
• When it comes to a boil, turn it down to medium-low, cover with lid and let cook for 10 to 12 minutes, or until all the liquid has mostly been absorbed.
• Remove from heat and let it rest for 10 minutes - during this time, any residual liquid will absorb.
• Fluff rice with a fork and adjust the seasoning with more salt if you wish.
• Just prior to serving, stir through most of the onions and top with remainder. Sprinkle with chopped coriander if desired. Best served warm.

SPICY LENTIL RICE PILAF

Steps:

• pour oil into a heavy, wide pan with a tight-fitting lid. Add onion, garlic and salt. Sweat until aromatic, stirring constantly.
• Add rice and stir to coat. Continue stirring until rice smells nutty.
• Add water,bouillon cubes, orange zest, spices and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand 5 to 10 minutes.
• Thaw the peas in a microwave. Stir in peas, and fluff with a fork. Sprinkle with raisins and pistachios.

LENTIL RICE PILAF WITH CARAMELIZED ONIONS (MUJADARA)

Steps:

• prep the ingredients: Add the lentils into a small saucepan and add water until the lentils are covered by at least 2 inches. Cook the lentils over medium-high heat until almost tender, about 15-18 minutes. Drain; set aside. Soak the rice in a bowl of cold water for 20 minutes while you caramelize the onions.
• onions: Add the olive oil into a deep, thick-bottomed pot (with a lid), like a dutch oven. Heat the olive oil over medium heat. Once it's hot, add the onions and stir them around to coat with the oil. Set a timer for 20 minutes and cook the onions for a total of 18-22 minutes, stirring often, or until the onions are a deep orange or brown color. If the onions start to brown before the 10-minute mark, lower the heat. Ideally, they should start developing color around 12-15 minutes. And from that point on, you'll need to stir the onions often so that they don't burn. Remove the onions to a plate lined with a paper towel.
• rice pilaf: Drain the soaked rice thoroughly and add it to the oil remaining in the pot (if you have less than a tablespoon, add a little more). Sauté the rice in the remaining oil for 2 minutes. Add the lentils to the pot and season with the cumin, coriander, turmeric, allspice, cinnamon, sugar, and salt. Add 1 1/2 cups of water and let the water come to a rolling boil, cover, lower the heat to the lowest setting, and let cook for 15 minutes. Remove the pot from the stove. Grab a piece of paper towel large enough to cover the pot. Add the caramelized onions to the top of the rice and place the paper towel flat on the pot before placing the lid on top. Let sit for 10 minutes (your stove should be off at this point). Fluff and mix in the onions before serving.

RED LENTIL PILAF

Steps:

• Combine the veggies in a heavy frying pan.
• Cook for about 5 minutes over low heat, stirring constantly, until the green onion wilts Add the lentils, chicken broth, and garlic.
• Stir.
• Bring to a boil over medium heat, then lower the heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
• Stir in the cayenne pepper and parsley.
• Take care not to overcook, the lentils should have a crunch.

SPICY RICE PILAF

Steps:

• In a saucepan over medium heat, saute onion in oil until tender. Add broth and lentils; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Stir in remaining ingredients; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 20-25 minutes longer or until lentils and rice are tender.

SPICED VEGETABLE PILAF

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. In boiling water, cook carrots for 4 mins, tipping in onions for the last min of cooking. Drain and mix in a roasting tin with 4 tsp oil, the cumin and seasoning. Roast for 30 mins, while you cook the rice.
• Heat remaining 2 tsp oil in a large pan. Add cardamom and cinnamon for 30 secs, then add rice and toast for 1 min. Pour over stock and 100ml water, then simmer, covered, for 25-30 mins, until rice is tender and the water absorbed. Remove cinnamon and cardamom.
• Tip in lentils and fork through before topping with spinach. Put lid back on and cook over a low heat, stirring once, until spinach has wilted and lentils heated through. Fork through again before tipping the cumin roasted veg onto the top and sprinkling with almonds, if using.

LENTIL RICE PILAF

Steps:

• Bring lentils to a boil in a 2 qrt saucepan with 2 cups water.
• Remove from heat and let stand 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, trim and discard ends from green beans; cut into 1/2" pieces.
• Slice green onions.
• Mince carrot, shallot and ginger.
• Drain lentils and set aside.
• Heat oil in 2 qt saucepan over medium heat.
• Saute green onions, shallot and ginger in oil 2 minutes.
• Stir in rice; saute 2 more minutes.
• Add 2 1/4 cups water.
• Stir in lentils, green beans and carrot; bring to a boil, cover pot and cook 15 minutes, until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed.
• Let stand 5 minutes off heat.
• Stir in salt and serve while hot.

TASTY SPICY RICE PILAF

Steps:

• Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat; cook and stir onion, red pepper, mushrooms, and garlic until tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in rice. Add chicken stock; cover and boil until liquid is absorbed, about 10 minutes. Season with red pepper flakes, salt, and black pepper.

LENTIL PILAF

Steps:

• Clean the lentils with fresh cold water to avoid foaming when cooking.
• Mix 2 cups of lentils with the 8 cups of water and 1 tablespoon of salt.
• Heat on high, uncovered for approximately 30 minutes, mixing slightly every 10 minutes, removing any foam that may have come up.
• After the lentils turn tender and soft (not melted), make sure there is only about 2 cups of water remaining (add or remove water).
• Add the half cup of rice. Cook for 10 mins at medium fire.
• Simultaneously with the rice, fry the chopped cup of onion in the olive oil and vegetable oil until golden brown (should be about 10 minutes).
• After the 10 minutes pass, slowly pour the oil and onion over the lentils and rice. Lower the heat to Low, and let it lay for 10 minutes (do NOT mix).
• After the 10 minutes pass, add the quarter cup of vinegar and mix everything.
• Cover with a thick clean kitchen towel and leave covered for about 10 minutes.
• After the 15 minutes pass, you should have a thick pilaf of lentils and rice, with onions showing up here and there.

SPICY CURRIED LENTILS AND RICE

Steps:

• Pour the oil into a medium or large saucepan with a lid over medium heat. Add the onion, ginger, garlic and pepper. Sauté for 1 to 2 minutes. Cook until onion begins to slightly soften, about 5 minutes.
• Add lentils, rice, curry powder, and water. Stir well.
• Cover the pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 35 minutes.
• Remove from heat, add peas to pot, replace cover and let sit undisturbed for 5 more minutes.
• Add tomatoes and salt and fluff with a fork. Transfer to a serving plate. Top with cilantro. Serve immediately.

RICE AND LENTIL PILAF - INDIAN STYLE

Steps:

• Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the cinnamon stick, cardamom pods, bay leaf, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, chiles, and cloves and then cook for about a minute while stirring, until the spices become fragrant. Take the spices out of the pot and reserve. Turn the heat down to med-low and add the onion to the pan. Cook for approximately 10 minutes, stirring once and a while, and then take the pot off the heat and set aside.
• Rinse the rice in a colander. Once the rice is rinsed and drained, add it to the onion in the saucepan and put in the reserved spices and add the turmeric and cook over med-heat, stirring, for about 1 minute.
• Add in 1 1/2 C water and 1/2 t salt to the mixture and bring it all to a boil over high heat. Cover the pan with a paper towel and then the lid. Let this simmer this way, over low heat, for approx.20 minutes, or until all the liquid has been soaked up. Take the pan off of the heat and set aside, leaving it covered, for approximately 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, combine the lentils, 2 C water and 1/2 t salt in a different saucepan and bring it to a boil over high heat. Then put a lif on it and simmer, over low heat. for approximately 25 minutes (until the lentils get tender).
• Now, heat the remaining 2 T vegetable oil, over medium heat, in a large nonstick skillet. Add in the potatoes and cook for approx 10 or 12 minutes, until the potatoes get a bit browned (stirring occasionally). Take the heat down to low and cook for about 5 minutes more. Then you can add the carrots to the potatoes and cook for 3 more minutes, or just until both are tender.
• Next, you can fluff the rice with a fork and take out the bay leaf, cardamom pods, cinnamon sticks, cloves and chiles. Then drain your lentils and stir them into the rice along with the potato mixture. Add salt and pepper to taste and enjoy.