Spicy mujardara for Beirut.....with dill yoghurt and garlic oil

This mujadara we served it as our center piece when we did a fundraiser with the bajes beach club for blast relief in Beirut, together with 10 other Amsterdam restaurants. It’s really the traditional one, although the dill yoghurt and the spices I add to the rice is a bit funky
( although you would eat yoghurt with it)….. too make it funky that’s what I like. Mujadara or mudardara too is an everlasting love of mine in all its variations…… poor man’s food is the richest!

Serves 4

275 g basmati (of good quality)
6 onions
oil to fry
150 g brown lentils
1 stick of cinnamon
4 cardamom pods
1 tsp curcuma
fruity olive oil 
4 tbsp of almonds 
1 bunch of dill
250 g thick Turkish yoghurt
chili flakes
3 cloves of garlic
2-3 tsp butter

Wash the rice until the water runs clear. Halve the onions and slice finely. Fry the onions in small portions on medium fire until golden brown. Keep on stirring!

When the first portion of onions is ready add to big pan with the rice, lentils and so much water that all is generously covered. Add salt, the cinnamon, cardamom and curcuma. Bring to the boil, covered. When boiling turn down the heat and leave for 15-20 min. covered. Fry almonds and chop. Mix 2/3 of the onions into the rice with some olive oil and add some salt. Chop finely the dill and mix in the yoghurt with some salt. Slice the garlic in thinly en fry with some chiliflakes and salt golden brown. Serve the mujadara with the rest of the onions on top and sprinkle with the almonds. Spoon the yoghurt around and drizzle with the garlic chili oil.