You know how sometimes you think you know how much time will be enough for you to wind down? I thought I knew; so we booked our 10 day vacation. We drove to Montreal (16 hours!!) and from there to Ottawa and Quebec City. It was amazing, I loved it, I loved the cities, the views, the vibe, the fact that I didn’t have to clean the house, go to work, do the laundry and even cook (yeah…I’m a real person). But then it ended, and of course that now I feel it wasn’t enough. I wish I could take a whole month off but I guess this will have to do for now, since living with no pay check is not a good idea for the short or long term. Was nice though!
On a whole different note, have you noticed the latest trend of “Put An Egg On It”?
I’m not sure what this is all about but I like eggs so I’m fine with that. I have many people I follow on “Instagram” and I noticed that food from the Far East is many times served with an egg on or in it, perhaps that’s where this is all started?
In any case, when I saw that there is an Iraqi dish served with an egg on it I was thrilled, because I like the spices and it was so easy to make, truly effortless.
So here you have it, an Iraqi dish called “Kichri” which is basically rice with red lentils and lots of spices. It is served with an egg on it (obviously) and sour cream or yogurt on the side. You can say it’s a whole meal because, well – it is!
- 1 Cup Red Lentils
- 2 Cups White Jasmin/ Basmati Rice
- 4 Cups Water – Hot Boiled
- 1 tsp Paprika
- 1 tsp Ground Black Pepper
- 1 tsp Ground Cumin
- ¾ tbsp Salt
- 2½ tbsp Tomato Paste
- 2 tbsp Vegetable Oil
- 4 Garlic Cloves – Diced
- In a strainer, thoroughly wash the lentils and rice under cold running water until the water draining from the lentils are clear.
- Pour the hot boiling water into a medium pot and add the tomato paste and all the spices and bring to boil.
- Once water boil in the pot, add the rice and lentils, stir well and lower to low heat.
- Let the rice and lentils cook (with no lid on) until the water are completely gone and absorbed into the rice and lentils. This should take about 40 minutes.
- In the meantime, preheat frying pan with 2 tbsp oil over medium heat and add the diced garlic cloves. Saute for about 2 minutes until the garlic is golden, be careful not to over fry it. Garlic is easily burnt.
- After the water in the pot is completely absorbed, add the fried garlic in and mix.
- Cover the pod with a lid and let it cook for another 15 minutes while covered, over low heat.
- Serve with a sunny side up on top and sour cream or yogurt on the side.
