Cypriot lentils with rice – Fakes moutzentra

Cypriot lentils with rice are known to the locals as fakes (lentils) moutzentra. It’s a traditional Cypriot dish enjoyed for the nourishment and tastiness it provides. A peasant type of food with very simple ingredients.

I remember enjoying fakes moutzentra at two houses other than our own. First was at my grandmother’s house where she would allocate me the task of cleaning out the lentils from any stones or inconsistent lentils. She would place the lentils on a woven bamboo tray (like the one below) on the kitchen bench for me, while she would carry on with the rest of the prep. The second was at one of our friend’s house at our village where I would sometimes go after school until my parents got home. I have a clear image of me sitting on the verandah enjoying a bowl or two of these Cypriot lentils with rice!

The origins of this dish

Up until earlier last year I thought moutzentra was purely a traditional Cypriot dish but it came to my attention that there is a dish as such in the Middle Eastern cuisine. There are a lot of variations to the name depending on which country it is from, such as mujaddara, mudarrdara or mjaddara.  The Cypriot cuisine is heavily influenced by the Middle Eastern flavours and this dish seems to be no exception.

Ingredients needed

The ingredients for the Cypriot lentils with rice are very few. The flavour is elevated by adding lemon juice, caramelized onions and the fragrant fresh coriander, which I personally love to stir through (or you may choose to add parsley).

Moutzentra can be made with green or brown lentils, depending on what you can find. Brown lentils are slightly smaller and they require a slightly less cooking time. However, both types of lentils do not require soaking in water before cooking, unlike other legumes.

Usually the Middle Eastern recipes for this dish include fried onions to garnish on top as well as the caramelized onions. It is not something typically done the Cypriot way but it is an option, if you like, for extra texture. Also, the use of red onions instead of brown onions is my personal preference. That is because I find they turn out sweeter and I can digest them a bit better, especially seeing that there are quite a lot of onions added.

The consistency of the Cypriot lentils with rice typically is quite runny. However I prefer to make it so that the lentils and rice are still somewhat intact and the water mostly absorbed. So if you like a smoother texture, then you may add more water than I suggest when you cook the lentils with the rice.

Accompaniments

Since young, whenever we ate lentils yoghurt was always an accompaniment. However as I have mentioned in a previous lentil blog post, I found out that the calcium in yoghurt actually prevents iron (found in lentils) to be reabsorbed. Vitamin C helps though, which I guess the previous generations knew something about, as lemon juice is added in “fakes moutzentra”. Pickled sides are also beneficial for the same purpose, so I have been adding them on the table as well as olives which we all enjoy!

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Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

20 mins

Resting time

10 mins

 

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Cypriot, Mediterranean

Author: Eleni Georges

Ingredients

• 500 g green or brown lentils
• 1/3 cup basmati rice 70g
• 400 mL hot water
• 4 small red onions 400g, sliced
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp black pepper
• 1/3 cup lemon juice
• 10 sprigs of fresh coriander or parsley, chopped after ends are removed

Instructions

1. Add the rice in a bowl, wash and let it soak in water until it is time to use it. Clean out any dirt or inconsistent lentils and wash them.

2. Bring the lentils to the boil using hot water to cover them, about 2L. Then simmer for 8-15min (see notes¹), just before they get too tender.

3. While the lentils are cooking use the olive oil to fry the onions until they are golden and soft, on a medium heat. Make sure you stir often so they don’t burn on the bottom. This will take about 15-20min.

4. Use a colander to remove the water from the lentils and wash them from any grit. Return them to the pot and add the 400mL of hot water, rice, salt and pepper. Bring the pot to a boil and then reduce the heat to low-medium. Let it cook for a 10min with the lid on.
5. Once the rice is cooked, stir through the lemon and the cooked onions with all the left over olive oil from the frying pan. Place a towel and the lid on top to let it rest off the heat for 10min at least. Before serving stir the chopped fresh coriander through the lentils and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

Recipe Notes

1. The brand of green lentils I got (http://medfoods.com.au/product/green-lentils/) only needed 8min of cooking before they were cooked enough. But when I tried another brand the lentils needed 15min at least to cook enough on their own first.