Persian wedding rice

5 from 3 votes

The flavors of Arabian Nights condensed in a nutritious bowl of goodness. Vegan and gluten-free but more importantly delicious.

Prep Time15

Cook Time1

Total Time1 15

Course: Main Dish, Side Dish

Cuisine: Mediterranean, Middle Eastern

Keyword: almond, apricot, easy, gluten-free, lentils, onion, raisin, rice, vegan, vegetarian

Servings:

Calories: 292kcal

Author: Veronique Eichler

Equipment

Ingredients

1 cup long grain brown rice (= 3 cups cooked)
1/3 cup brown lentils (= 1 cup cooked)
1 cup onion chopped
1/2 cup dried apricot chopped
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup slivered almonds
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground cloves
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

Rinse lentils and cook them in a large amount of boiling water (at least 3 times the volume of lentils) for 15 to 20 minutes. Test them before the end of the cooking time to make sure they are cooked but not mushy. Drain immediately and reserve.
Cook brown rice per package instructions. The one I use takes 2 cups of boiling salted water for 1 cup of rice and 40 minutes of cooking covered with a tight lid. There should be no water left at the end of the cooking time. Let sit while you prepare the rest of the recipe.
In a large frying pan, heat olive oil on medium high heat. Add onion and saute for about 5 minutes until it starts to brown. Add almonds, apricots, raisins, cinnamon and cloves. Stir to blend until fragrant.
Fluff the rice with a fork. Add the lentils and the onion mix and stir gently.

Notes

I recommend cooking a larger batch of lentils for other uses. You can store cooked lentils for 4-5 days in a sealed storage container in the fridge. You can also freeze them up to 4 months.

Nutrition