ImJaddara

[Suvir Saran]

Im Jaddara

Serves 6-8

Jaddara is another dish I have learned from Mary Ann Joulwan. This is very similar to Khicharee that we eat in India. The only difference is that the lentil and rice casserole, if you will, is not as spiced and a lot more subtle.

1 cups brown lentils or sabut masoor daal

5 3/4 cups water

2 medium red onions, finely minced

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon salt, or to taste

1/2 teaspoon black pepper powder

3/4 cup rice

chopped cilantro or parsley for garnish

1. Rinse lentils thoroughly in warm water.

2. Place washed lentils in medium soup pot.

3. Add water and bring to a boil, only long enough to skim off and froth.

4. Lower heat, cover, boil very gently for 20 minutes.

5. While the lentils are boiling, sauté minced onions in olive oil, mixing and turning constantly until color of onions is dark brown to almost black but NOT burned.

6. At this point, add 1 cup of the boiling lentil water to onions. This will cause an explosive effect. Simmer onions in the water about 5 minutes until the liquid is dark brown and the oil glazes the onions.

7. Add this dark onion/water mixture to the boiling lentils.

8. Add the salt and pepper.

9. Add rice, bring to a boil, cover and simmer on very low heat and cook about 15 minutes more or until all water is soaked.

10. Remove from hear and serve hot with yogurt and papadam

Garnish:

Serve the Jaddara with chopped cilantro leaves on top of serving bowl as garnish

[Suvir Saran]

If you want to eat the Khichree that Indians prepare, hit the link below.

Indian Khichree

[Suvir Saran]

Mary Ann served Im Jaddara last night (Saturday Night).

She used less water than the recipe above.

It was delicious. She serve it with a very generous garnish of fried brown onions.

[Orik]

Im Jaddara

I've always known this as Mujaddarah. Where (geographically) does 'Im Jaddara' come from?

[Suvir Saran]

Im Jaddara

I've always known this as Mujaddarah. Where (geographically) does 'Im Jaddara' come from?

I believe it is the same thing.. slight variation. It is from Lebanon.

How do you prepare the one you know?

[ajay]

Is Im Jaddara similar in any respects to Kusheri, an Egyptian dish (indeed it was the best meal we had on our trip) that is also made with rice masoor dal (not sure what the english word is) and fried onions?

[Suvir Saran]

Is Im Jaddara similar in any respects to Kusheri, an Egyptian dish (indeed it was the best meal we had on our trip) that is also made with rice masoor dal (not sure what the english word is) and fried onions?

You got it!

Yes it is indeed rice, masoor dal and fried onions.

[Suzanne F]

There's a tiny Middle Eastern take-out shop on Fulton Street, just east of Broadway (NYC) -- called Alfanoose -- and they have "Mojadara" as one of the side dishes. Lots of fried onions on top.

Delicious, fresh food there: foul mudammas, tabouli (made the right way: first and foremost, parsley), fatoush, falafel (with lots of vegetable salads available for garnish). Meat dishes, too. Just thought I'd mention them, because I love their food.

[Suvir Saran]

There's a tiny Middle Eastern take-out shop on Fulton Street, just east of Broadway (NYC) -- called Alfanoose -- and they have "Mojadara" as one of the side dishes.  Lots of fried onions on top. 

Delicious, fresh food there: foul mudammas, tabouli (made the right way: first and foremost, parsley), fatoush, falafel (with lots of vegetable salads available for garnish).  Meat dishes, too.  Just thought I'd mention them, because I love their food. 

As Mary Ann always says, "Fried caramel colored onions are the life of imm jaddara".

[Orik]

I believe it is the same thing.. slight variation.  It is from Lebanon.

How do you prepare the one you know?

It is clearly the same thing, I was wondering about the spelling. Some versions I know use cumin (about a tsp of ground cumin for one cup of rice). I've also seen this prepared with chicken broth or porcupine broth instead of water.

[Suvir Saran]

I've also seen this prepared with chicken broth or porcupine broth instead of water.

Porcupine broth? Where? Really?

[Orik]

Porcupine broth?  Where?  Really?

In the north of Israel. The Druze hunt them (not that it's all that hard) and turn them into lovely soups and stews.

[Suvir Saran]

Porcupine broth?  Where?  Really?

In the north of Israel. The Druze hunt them (not that it's all that hard) and turn them into lovely soups and stews.

Fascinating! Thanks for sharing that.

[corax]

Im Jaddara

I've always known this as Mujaddarah. Where (geographically) does 'Im Jaddara' come from?

I believe it is the same thing.. slight variation. It is from Lebanon.

←

an interesting riff on imjaddarah, also lebanese, is called 'imdardarah,' and is made by substituting burghul for rice.

[Smithy]

If you want to eat the Khichree that Indians prepare, hit the link below.

Indian Khichree

←

Suvir, that link isn't working for me. Would you post the URL, please? Or is the web page dead?

I love Egyptian khoushary and have been intrigued at its similarity to mujaddere (the way I heard the Turkish name). Now I learn there's an Indian variant also! I'd like to see how it compares.

Slightly off-topic but I'm intrigued at the linguistic connections: Imm Jaddara vs. Mujaddere. Mother of __ vs. person of __? Is that what that means? What's the jaddara part?

[FoodMan]

Slightly off-topic but I'm intrigued at the linguistic connections: Imm Jaddara vs. Mujaddere.  Mother of __ vs. person of __?  Is that what that means?  What's the jaddara part?

Really both names are one and the same, just slightly different pronounciations. In Northern Lebanon (where I come from) it's pronounced "Mjaddarra" in other areas such as Beirut or the Bekaa area it sounds more like "I-mJaddarra". It has nothing to do with "mother of" as far as I know. Come to think of it I do know what it means, but the only other meaning for the word "Mjaddar" or "Mjaddara" that I know of is "infected with chicken pox" . It is not the most appetizing name, I know, but maybe it is refering to the lentils.

Elie

[Smithy]

Really both names are one and the same, just slightly different pronounciations. In Northern Lebanon (where I come from) it's pronounced "Mjaddarra" in other areas such as Beirut or the Bekaa area it sounds more like "I-mJaddarra". It has nothing to do with "mother of" as far as I know. Come to think of it I do know what it means, but the only other meaning for the word "Mjaddar" or "Mjaddara" that I know of is "infected with chicken pox"  . It is not the most appetizing name, I know, but maybe it is refering to the lentils.

Elie

←

Chicken pox?! Lentils?! Now *that* makes me sorry I asked!

[Explorer]

This 2-year old post is getting a revival for some reason.

I hate to be the one correcting others on accuracy, but for the record (and FoodMan can check his records and confirm it):

1- To make a Mujadara, you have to mash the lentils prior to throwing the rice in. The dish looks like a medium consistency puree after it settles.

2- The Mudardara which is a variation of the Mujadara is actually what Suvir and others have been describing, not what Corax said (i.e. with bulgur instead of rice).

3- If you substitute bulgur instead of rice, it is simply called Mujadarah with Bulgur. (duh!)

4- Finally, if you add water to a Mudardara, it is then called Muttalla'a, i.e. it becomes like a soup.

All these dishes, except for the soup are served either hot or cold, and go very well with pita bread and are typically accompanied by a julienned cabbage salad (lemon/olive oil) + tomatoes.

[FoodMan]

Explorer-

Overall I do agree with you, especially concerning mudardara and mujadarra. However, at least in Lebanon the terms are used interchangebly. I grew up in Beirut but I am originally from North Lebanon, and I had never thought of mujadarra other than what you call mudardara. Basically bulghur, lentils, onions and olive oil.

Later on my mom made one of her sister's recipes, and called it Mujadarra Msifaya or drained mujadarra. This was what you call mujadarra with the mashed lentils. Some time later I hear the term mudardara and when I ask my mom what that was she informs me : oh! it really is mujaddarra and the true mujadarra is the one with the mashed lentils!! So, it is very confusing and the terms are used in different ways but as a reference, your explanations are accurate.

Elie

[Explorer]

I do recall the confusion about the name interchange, and I think people don't like the word Moudardara because it's awfully sounding- so Mujadara was used for both sometimes, but technically the Mujadara is mashed, and Mudardara is not.

[Baklava Jenny]

In our home this was primarily a lenten dish while fasting during the pre-Easter season.

Lots of carmelized onions were placed on top of the lentils and rice and then a tangy simple salad served on the side of the plate so you could mix it all up together.

It is everything to make you feel warm and cared for...

[bilrus]

I actually just had this for lunch today at a local DC Lebanese restaurant, but in this case, the lentils were defintely not smashed, but they were a little "broken open" from the cooking.

I've made this at home many times, but I have the problem that the lentils break open too much (or at least more than I thought they should and more than the picture that accompanied my recipe appeared). Maybe this is the way they should be, or at least I can tell myself that now?

FWIW - the recipe I have calls the dish Megadarra and says it is an Egyptian dish.

Edited December 22, 2004 by bilrus (log)

[Baklava Jenny]

I've made this at home many times, but I have the problem that the lentils break open too much (or at least more than I thought they should and more than the picture that accompanied my recipe appeared).  Maybe this is the way they should be, or at least I can tell myself that now?

←

Sure, go ahead and tell yourself that. I wouldn't call this a aestetically pleasing dish necessarily. However, it sure makes up for it in taste.

[corax]

I actually just had this for lunch today at a local DC Lebanese restaurant, but in this case, the lentils were defintely not smashed, but they were a little "broken open" from the cooking.

I've made this at home many times, but I have the problem that the lentils break open too much (or at least more than I thought they should and more than the picture that accompanied my recipe appeared). 

well, as baklava jenny said, it's not the most beautiful dish visually. claudia roden, in one of her cookbooks, tells how her aunt would serve it and say apologetically, 'excuse the food of the poor!' -- to which her guests would reply, 'keep your food of kings, and give us imjaddarah every day!' [LOL]

that said, i do think of it as kitchen food -- am always surprised when a restaurant offers it on the menu. but when done right, it is just delicious, isn't it? i'm also told that this is the 'red porridge' that jacob is said in the bible to have cooked for esau, for which the latter sold his birthright. i'm not surprised that you have a recipe that names it as egyptian; i'm sure it's prepared all through the levant. and for that matter, almost every culture has some beans-n-rice dish. how did the ancients figure out about assembling the 8 essential amino acids from their non-meat foods? it's remarkable, i think.

[Baklava Jenny]

Corax, I had forgotten the tradition that says Mjaddarah was the meal that Esau sold his birthright for.

He should have learned to be independent and cook for himself, then he wouldn't have had to sell anything.