Adas mujaddar — lentils and bulgur with murrî
Brown lentils melted with bulgur, perfumed with cumin and murrî, crowned with onions slowly browned until almost sweet. A humble, comforting dish, sopped up with bread and keeping the body going from morning to evening.
Brown lentils melted with bulgur, perfumed with cumin and murrî, crowned with onions slowly browned until almost sweet. A humble, comforting dish, sopped up with bread and keeping the body going from morning to evening.
Know, you who read me, that before adjusting the float of a clock, one must have a tranquil stomach. On my table, this bowl of lentils and barley came back almost every day: inexpensive, quickly assembled, but it is only appreciated on condition that the onions are left to brown very gently, until they turn to honey — that is the skill, like adjusting a cogwheel piece by piece. A spoonful of murrî on top, a little cumin, and the humble seed becomes a scholar's meal.
- •Brown lentils — two handfuls (nourishing base)
- •Bulgur (cracked wheat) — one handful (staple grain)
- •Onions — two (golden garnish, sweetness)
- •Murrî (barley fermented condiment) — a dash (umami fermented signature)
- •Cumin and coriander seeds — a pinch each (aroma)
- •Olive oil or sheep's tail fat — as needed (cooking)
Adas mujaddar — lentils and bulgur with murrî
Brown lentils melted with bulgur, perfumed with cumin and murrî, crowned with onions slowly browned until almost sweet. A humble, comforting dish, sopped up with bread and keeping the body going from morning to evening.
Why this dish? Al-Jazari spent his days in the workshops of the Amid palace, bent over his water clocks and chain pumps. A dish of lentils with cracked barley, nourishing and cheap, was the ordinary fare of artisans and scholars in the Jazira: the simple fuel for a day of calculations and brass filing.
Know, you who read me, that before adjusting the float of a clock, one must have a tranquil stomach. On my table, this bowl of lentils and barley came back almost every day: inexpensive, quickly assembled, but it is only appreciated on condition that the onions are left to brown very gently, until they turn to honey — that is the skill, like adjusting a cogwheel piece by piece. A spoonful of murrî on top, a little cumin, and the humble seed becomes a scholar's meal.
Ingredients (period version)
- Brown lentils — two handfuls (nourishing base)
- Bulgur (cracked wheat) — one handful (staple grain)
- Onions — two (golden garnish, sweetness)
- Murrî (barley fermented condiment) — a dash (umami fermented signature)
- Cumin and coriander seeds — a pinch each (aroma)
- Olive oil or sheep's tail fat — as needed (cooking)
Ingredients
- Brown or green lentils — 200 g (nourishing base)
- Coarse bulgur — 100 g (staple grain)
- Onions — 2 large (golden garnish)
- Light soy sauce OR diluted miso paste (to evoke murrî) — 1 tbsp (substitute fermented umami)
- Ground cumin — 1 tsp (aroma)
- Ground coriander — 1/2 tsp (aroma)
- Olive oil — 4 tbsp (cooking)
- Salt — to taste (seasoning)
Method
- Rinse the lentils and cook in simmering water for 15 minutes, without salt for now.
- Meanwhile, finely slice the onions and sauté in oil over low heat for 20 to 25 minutes, until mahogany-colored and almost sweet. Reserve half for the top.
- Add the bulgur, cumin, and coriander to the lentils, add a little water, and let swell covered for 12 to 15 minutes.
- Stir in half the caramelized onions and the umami sauce (miso or soy); salt sparingly.
- Serve in a bowl, top with the reserved onions and a drizzle of oil.
How it was made : Mujaddar is attested very early in the cuisines of medieval Iraq as a dish for the modest and for fast days. Murrî, a liquid fermented condiment made from moldy barley paste and salt, played the role that today's bouillon cube or soy sauce has: it was added everywhere for depth of flavor. Lacking authentic murrî, miso or soy sauce gives a faithful idea.
The contemporary twist : Serve the mujaddar arranged in a regular spiral, like a gear of al-Jazari's water clock, with the caramelized onions placed like a toothed crown.
Sources : Charles Perry (trans.), A Baghdad Cookery Book: The Book of Dishes (Kitāb al-Ṭabīkh) of al-Baghdādī, Prospect Books, 2005 · Nawal Nasrallah, Annals of the Caliphs' Kitchens: Ibn Sayyār al-Warrāq's Tenth-Century Baghdadi Cookbook, Brill, 2007
Al-Jazari · Charactorium
