Humble and beloved
Lentils have fed the Arab world for thousands of years, and two lentil dishes are especially loved today.
Shorbat adas is the red lentil soup that opens countless Ramadan iftars: blended smooth with cumin and onion, finished with lemon and crisp toasted pita.
Mujaddara is the Levant’s comfort food: brown lentils and rice cooked with cumin and buried under a heap of crispy, deep-brown onions.
Tips
- Use split red lentils (masoor daal) for soup and whole brown or green lentils for mujaddara.
- Cumin and lemon are the essential seasonings.
- Both dishes are naturally vegan and cost very little.
South Asian cooks will feel at home: shorbat adas is close to a thin, lemony masoor daal, and mujaddara is a cousin of khichdi. For more pulse dishes, see foul medames and hummus.