Lentils & Rice

Had G and K over for an iftar meal. They haven't been able to fly in fuss-free to Singapore for a visit until the restrictions lifted and travel was made slightly smoother. They zoomed over in a heartbeat to stay for the month. They cleverly chose to stay in a service apartment so that they could do light cooking and not eat out. We found time to catch up with one another for a few dates. Aside from gym dates, we packed over groceries to prep a an easy burrito bowl dinner at theirs, and tonight, we had them over for dinner. 

For the friends to break fast, we rustled up a platter of juicy Oman dates and za'atar man'ouche with tomatoes and olive oil. I considered putting in a cheese pie, but that might be too much, considering that the mains were pure carbs. Luckily the dates and flatbread were sufficient and those went down quickly.

For our mains, the man had a recipe in mind. He tweaked it, of course, but it was his first time trying it out. Brave man. Brave guests. He wanted to do an easy one-pot lentils and rice. Every culture has a rice and beans recipe. It's all a matter of how one wants to do it that day. He ran the idea by me because it was a busy week for us and if we had to host guests on this date, I would have to clean up loads. He has now learnt that a chaotic kitchen drives me nuts. I okay-ed it. It wasn't too difficult to prep for and nothing that greasy to clean up after. 

The man meshed Mediterranean and Arabic recipes together. It's not exactly a mujadara. The man made his own version. Of course the pot held basmati and Du Puy lentils (or green lentils), tomatoes ,a ton of red onions, capsicums, red chilli powder and green chillies. There were also seared chicken thighs at the side for those who wanted extra protein in the meal.