Barley, a frugal gal's secret weapon

I made a delicious barley and pea risotto, it was delicious and so easy to make, recipe follows...

Mujadarrah - it doesn't get more frugal than this incredibly tasty dish

I wanted to make something quick and tasty for my supper today, and in the spirit of my frugal blog, I remembered a great dish called Mujadarrah, basically lentils and rice with onions. Doesn't sound like much, does it, but it's one of those dishes where the end result far exceeds the sum of it's parts. It's a Middle Eastern dish, and I added a little curry powder to make it a little spicier, and a little more like the kind of Indian food that I love. I searched on the internet, as I always do, checking different recipes and trying to see a common thread. I concluded that the onions were a key part of the dish, and they have to be caramelized to give you the flavor you need to take the dish up another notch in flavor.

I would also say it's a good idea to make double the recipe because it keeps well, and can be a useful side dish.

Here is the recipe:


1 cup lentils, I used regular brown lentils ( do not use orange ones)
1 cup basmati brown rice
1 large onion, chopped
4 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and Pepper to taste.

All you do is add the oil to a pan, cook the onions, they need to be cooked brown, and whilst cooking the onions, cook the lentils. Add the lentil to a pan, add 4 cups of water, cook for about 15 minutes, add the rice to the pan, cook for another 10-15 minutes or so. Add the rice and lentils to the cooked onions, season well, and serve.