I created this tradition of making Mjaddara during the first week of the year. After days of overeating and drinking during the holidays, and after spending too much, a dish with little ingredients, low effort, and high nutrition. It happened one year that I posted the dish on my instagram story and many messaged me telling me they either made it as well or were planning to make it. Thus declaring the first week of the year to be Mjaddra week. In 2023, I posted the recipe on my blog to make it official.
People in Lebanon, most probably also in other parts of Bilad Al Sham, have a tradition of making a dish that is white in color for the new year. Something with yogurt mostly. Something to signify and manifest a bright year ahead. Italians make something with lentils, for lentils look like coins and that signifies lots of money.
Food photographers: Liz and Max Haarala Hamilton – Food stylist: Valerie Berry – Prop stylist: Aya Nishimura
This year, on the first week of the new year, I was recovering from the super flu. A virus that will wreck your body. Itchy throat, fatigue, drowsiness, cough, and fever. I was barely able to cook anything. I missed cooking something white. I didn’t make Mjaddara. But this past week, someone gave me an idea to make Rishta bi Adas, a dish I have in my book Bayrut The Cookbook. I haven’t made it in a while, probably since the past winter. This has been the coldest this season and I decided to make Rishta without the need to go out and buy anything. I didn’t have flour. I didn’t have wide pasta. Thankfully I had small red lentils and onions and lemons and soup noodles. The dish was made. The dish tasted good. Of course I prefer it with homemade noodles and crispy fried dough on top to give it an extra crunch. But I do not regret it.
Pumped, loaded, and delicious! Topped it with shaved coconut, walnuts, and chocolate chips.
I made the Banana bread recipe many years ago, in 2018 to be precise, for a local baking brand using their products. We shot it then in the trendy style of the mid 2010; square videos, top view, less than a minute, and a quick edit.
I made the recipe many times after it and each time I change something in it. Sometimes I add more chocolate, more and different nuts, and sometimes I get naughty and add brandy or bourbon in the mix. Hence the Banana Bread 2.0.
One of the dishes that always causes a dispute is mjaddara. There are so many variations to the recipe, but the uniting elements are lentils, onions, and bulgur or rice. The debates range from which lentils are used and are they creamed, to whether you use bulgur or rice or spices and is it mjaddara or mdardara? The list goes on… To me, mjaddara is when the proportions of lentils to bulgur/rice is higher. Mdardara uses almost equal proportions and is flavoured with cumin and fried onions on top. Mjaddara safra uses split yellow lentils; mjaddara hamra uses whole ones and gets its flavour from deeply caramelising the onions. Msaffaye means ‘strained’ and is made by pureeing cooked brown lentils, then cooking the rice or bulgur with them until thickened. A recipe in Kitab al-Tabikh, a cookbook compiled in 1226 by al-Baghdadi in Iraq, stated that this beloved vegetarian dish was served with minced (ground) meat in rich people’s celebrations, while the meatless one was the food of the poor.
Mjaddara hamra is what my family used to make. It is common in South Lebanon and Palestine. My grandma called it the ‘nails of the knees’ because of the high iron content. Pair it with some fresh bread, a zesty salad, green olives and lots of fresh veggies.
Last year, at the beginning of 2021, I had made Mjaddara and shared it on Instagram and, to my surprise, so many of my friends also made it the same week. This year I decided to make it official and annonce the tradition of Mjaddara Week as the first week of every year.
The reason behind everyone making Mjaddara on the first week of the year is because we just want something quick and easy that has nothing to do with the holidays food that we’ve been having for the past two week, and Mjaddara comes to the rescue with its nutritional value and affordability and for the fact that we’d serve lots of seasonal veggies and pickles with it.
Italians have lentils on the new year and consider it a symbol of good fortune for the upcoming year for they resemble little coins and we have Mjaddara.
Therefore, by the power vested in me, I declare the first week of every year to be The National, or rather International, Mjaddara Week.
soft Arabic bread or markouk/saj bread, for scooping
Zesty Cabbage Salad
fresh veggies and herbs
pickled chillies & green olives
Procedure
Add the lentils to a large saucepan, cover with 2 litres (8 cups) of the water and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes.
Place the onions in a cold sauté pan with the olive oil, set over a medium–high heat and fry until they start to caramelise. Stir often to make sure they are browning evenly, and keep them on the heat until they turn from caramelised to very dark brown – almost but not quite charring. The burnt onions are what gives this dish its special flavour. Once the onions reach this stage, add the extra cup of water and bring to the boil.
Pour the onion mixture into the cooked lentils, then stir in the bulgur.
Season to taste with the salt. Bring to the boil and cook for a further 5 minutes, stirring often, until the bulgur has soaked up the extra liquid.
Ladle onto plates and let cool slightly before serving with your chosen accompaniments. I love to scoop this dish up with soft Arabic bread.
Note on the photo: I have spent all my morning looking for the photos of Mjaddara I have from 2018 to no avail. I have a chunk of my 2018 photos and recipe, which i have uploaded to the blog then, missing from my storage. I had to resort to the header uploaded back in September 2018 as my recipe photo which is of the lentil porridge mjaddara that is puréed and strained 🥲
New year new me. Starting the year with loads of bullshit! 😂
The year of pretending ended with 2020 and with the new decade, we are about to get real 😂
To cut it short, this year is the birthday I spend with the least amount of people around me. Yes. Quarantine and a lockdown in Beirut. I am not mad. I actually had a relaxing breakfast and coffee followed by my tradition of baking a birthday cake for myself.
It is no question now that we now know how the government is dealing with the citizens of the country. After the 4th of August, we, or at least I, have removed the expectations bar all-together as I know we’re gonna find a new low (not to be confused with LAW) with every passing week.
It’s been almost 2 months since the explosion and no results from the investigation, no one detained, none of those who manage the Port are held accountable, NOTHING but a rising number of victims from those dying due to their injuries and complications.
