The Rhinelander job fell through. I am reconsidering my options for the twelfth time this month. Let you know more when I know more.
Before we do the Merlin review, I want to post MY particular version of Mujadara, or Injudra, or whatever you deign to call it. I had to work on it a little because the version they gave me didn't have the spices I like in it, and when I did the spices on the second batch, there was too much pepper. This time around on Batch 3, I've cut the pepper in half and I'm pleased with the result, which means that this recipe here is the one I'll be sticking with for the foreseeable future (when I get a place to live, this one is going to be made probably once or twice a week because it's cheaply and quickly made, and it holds up for days in the fridge.)
1/2 cup whole brown or green large lentils, sorted and rinsed
1/8 cup canola oil
1 small yellow onion, diced (size of my fist/just under baseball size)
1/2 cup long grain rice (I use brown rice and I rinse mine, but do as you like.)
1/2 tsp. garam masala (It's a spice mix, sort of like curry powder is a spice mix. If you can't find it (my Walmart doesn't know what this stuff is), here's a recipe so you can make your own...http://allrecipes.com/recipe/easy-garam-masala/
1/2 tsp. cumin (DO NOT forgo this if you make your own garam masala.)
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
For fried onion garnish (optional):
1 large onion cut in very thin rings
canola oil for frying
Place lentils in a small saucepan with 1 cup of water. Bring to boil over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer until lentils are par-cooked, 10-15 minutes. Remove from heat. Be careful not to overcook here; the idea is to par-cook the lentils. I do them till they begin to get soft.
In a large, heavy sauté or sauce pan (with a lid), heat the canola oil over medium high heat. Add the onions and cook until deep golden brown, about 20 minutes, stirring frequently to avoid burning. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt as the onions cook.
If using brown rice, cook with 1 cup of water for about 7-8 minutes before adding to the onion mixture. It should just be chewy.
Take the onions off the heat and add 1 cup of water. Place back on the heat and boil, over high heat, for five minutes. The liquid will take on the deep golden color of the onions and the onions will continue to soften.
Add the rice and par-cooked lentils to the onion mixture. Cover and bring to a boil. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper. Reduce heat to low and cook until the liquid has been absorbed and the rice and lentils are cooked through. The texture of the rice and lentils is somewhat al dente. Take care not to overcook or the mixture will become mushy. Remove from heat and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve hot, warm, or room temperature drizzled with olive oil.
For fried onion garnish, heat canola oil over high heat in a small saucepan (the small saucepan reduces the amount of oil needed for depth). When a small piece of onion dropped into the oil floats to the top and bubbles vigorously, the oil is ready. Fry the onion rings in batches until golden brown, reducing heat as needed to prevent burning. Remove and drain on paper towel. Place the onions on top of the mujadara on a serving platter or individual plates.
For fried onion garnish (optional):
1 large onion cut in very thin rings
canola oil for frying
Place lentils in a small saucepan with 1 cup of water. Bring to boil over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer until lentils are par-cooked, 10-15 minutes. Remove from heat. Be careful not to overcook here; the idea is to par-cook the lentils. I do them till they begin to get soft.
In a large, heavy sauté or sauce pan (with a lid), heat the canola oil over medium high heat. Add the onions and cook until deep golden brown, about 20 minutes, stirring frequently to avoid burning. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt as the onions cook.
If using brown rice, cook with 1 cup of water for about 7-8 minutes before adding to the onion mixture.
Take the onions off the heat and add 1 cup of water. Place back on the heat and boil, over high heat, for five minutes. The liquid will take on the deep golden color of the onions and the onions will continue to soften.
Add the rice and par-cooked lentils to the onion mixture. Cover and bring to a boil. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper. Reduce heat to low and cook until the liquid has been absorbed and the rice and lentils are cooked through. The texture of the rice and lentils is somewhat al dente. Take care not to overcook or the mixture will become mushy. Remove from heat and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve hot, warm, or room temperature drizzled with olive oil.
For fried onion garnish, heat canola oil over high heat in a small saucepan (the small saucepan reduces the amount of oil needed for depth). When a small piece of onion dropped into the oil floats to the top and bubbles vigorously, the oil is ready. Fry the onion rings in batches until golden brown, reducing heat as needed to prevent burning. Remove and drain on paper towel. Place the onions on top of the mujadara on a serving platter or individual plates.
So there it is. This dish is made in a hundred variations, so don't take mine as gospel, but if it works for a girl who was raised on German-Lutheran food, then by gosh, it should work for just about everyone else.
Now, the Merlin review. Sorry to make you wait for it...
SPOILER LINE
The Dark Tower or "They're Taking Queen Gwen to Isengard!" I originally did say Mordor, but forgot Barad-dur has the flaming volcano, the orcs, and the spiky tower, so it's really better to compare this tower to Isengard because of the lack of trees.
Elyan is gone from the Earth, thanks to Morgana's enhanted "Fight to the Death" sword which stabs him and makes his boat eat a flamethrower. It is too bad that we never really got any development on Gwen's brother-there was a lot of potential there when they introduced the character and we never saw him quite enough.
Where the hell is Mordred?
Percy and Leon get bit by magical CGI snakes, which scare the hell out of their horses. They could have made the snakes look more real, but whatever. I have a minor problem with this-did someone have the presence of mind to grab a snake before they left the clearing so they could make an antidote? Remember that this was a problem waaaaaay back in series 1? Oh, so now we can just pull antidotes out of thin air?
But apparently Morgana gave Gaius a snakebite he could actually cure, meaning these two knights get a terribly convenient flash of where they're supposed to be going when the Camelot crew gets stuck. Why didn't one of them see the enchanted sword that killed Elyan?
Gwen has been turned by screaming mandrakes, creepy friends showing up and laughing at her, and Morgana being scarily nice for the first time in about 5 years. Morgana's got Gwen convinced that everyone else is bad and Morgana is good (this will become an issue next week when Gwen starts burning what appears to be a joint in the castle walls.)
We find out Morgana was trapped in a well for two years (she says deep dark pit and I say well) (sans water of course, although considering Morgana should have about fifty holes in her from being stabbed a thousand times, the water might not have bothered her at all.) Being in a well for two years explains the hair, at least (no conditioner in Morgana's handbag anymore-she doesn't use any herself and she certainly didn't borrow any to Gwen.)
Why didn't Gwen ask Morgana WHY she's bad? That's always a nice topic of discussion when Morgana stops waving swords and shouting at Arthur.
Merlin meets Queen Mab, who just gives him bull (left is right and right is left. This is me EVERY DAY) but apparently he's able to use his magic to get the knights through the scary evil forest of evil.
Funny, the creepiest part of this episode wasn't the creepy laughing friends or the host of mandrakes screaming their roots off, it was Morgana offering Gwen chicken like they were old pals having a nice dinner at Ruby Tuesday. It was nice for Morgana to have an evil plot that actually worked for more than ten minutes, but I think she'll have to make up a new one by the end of next week.
So next week: Gwen has gone bad. She gives Arthur a potion that makes him slump like he's dead. I assume not because Arthur is supposed to die at the hands of Mordred, who makes a miraculous reappearance next week (and I'll bet there's a spot open on the Camelot Knights team thanks to Elyan's untimely demise.)
Let's hope that Gwen's just playing Morgana and she hasn't really gone wubbles, cause if she has Arthur might have to kill her for treason. Darn.
Ta,
Bec
No comments:
Post a Comment