This is dish I wanted to try for some time. I knew about it by chance after reading about the favourite dish from a football player and then by chance, having it by lunch one day at work. It was very tasty, looked healthy and not very complicated. So finally, this weekend I tried it.
I followed this video but not to the dot as I missed/forgot some ingredients. Still, the result was quite good. I only did the tomate sauce
Ingredients:
- 1 can of chickpeas (I didnt use because I had too much food)
- 3/4 glass of green/brown lentils
- 1 can of good pasata
- 6-7 minced garlic cloves
- 3/5 glass of rice (I used basmati)
- 1 glass of pasta
- 7 small onions, sliced (not diced)
- Pepper, salt, ground coriander, chilli flakes
- Olive oil
- 1 glass of sunflour oil for deepfrying.
Process:
- In a bowl, put the sliced onions with a bit of salt, pepper, ground coriander and chilli flakes. Toss it to be sure everything is well mixed. The idea is to make the onions to sweat a bit.
- Cook the lentils in a deep saucepan. Add two parts of boiling water for 1 part of lentils. 1 tsp of coriander and salt + pepper.
- Dont over cook it, something “aldente”
- Keep the water of the lentils to cook the pasta. Let aside the lentils.
- Cook the pasta with the lentils water. Again, till “aldente”. Set aside.
- Save the water for the last step.
- Heat up a a frying pan. Once hot, add some oil and the minced garlic. BE CAREFUL dont burn them!
- Add the tomate pasata to the garlic. Add some salt/pepper. Taste.
- Let it cook at medium heath until thickened. Set aside
- In the deep saucepan used for the lentils, heat up the sunflour oil
- Once it is hot, add a handfull of onios.
- NOTE: Leave a hand of onions without frying for next step
- Let if try for over 10 minutes or until brown (but not burned!)
- Remove the onions and let them dry with kitchen paper to absorve the oil. Separate them so they dont stick each other.
- Repeat the process with another batch of onions untill all are done.
- In the same saucepan as the onions. Remove some oil, try to clean any debris.
- Once is hot again, add the leftover onios. Fry until golden.
- Reduce to low-middle heat.
- Add the rice, mix very well so it doesnt stick to the bottom
- Add a couple of tbs of tomate sauce
- Add the pasta water. Top up if needed.
- Once the rice is done. Add the lentils and pasta. Mix all carefull
- For serving, add the rice/lentil/pasta base
- Add some tbs of tomate on top
- Add some crispy onions on top.
In the middle of the process:
Final:
It didnt taste like the one I remember but it was quite good.
For next time, I need to make the Dakkah, Garlic Vinegar sauce.