My Sunday Best: A Middle Eastern Themed Lunch - Mejadra, Roasted Sweet Potato Salad with Broiled Lamb Chops

This is very simplified Middle Eastern food. I always always wanted to get a copy of Jerusalem - the infamous Middle Eastern cookbook. I've read so many good things about it and how the recipes are easy to make and packed with flavor. The few that I found online are the popular ones - Mejadra and the Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Fresh Figs. However, I didn't plan to cook these dishes this weekend actually, so I didn't prepare for them properly. I worked around what's in my pantry which I try to keep fully stocked with dried herbs and spices that I like. I recently had a veggie box delivered, so my fridge is also full of fresh vegetables. So what can I make with them? 

Recently, I've been having trouble with sweet potatoes. I just don't like them that much even though I know they're good for me and all that jazz. Simply put, I need new ideas and tasty recipes that are just not limited to mashed or roasted but I'm getting there.

So after rounding up the usual suspects, I decided to make these two recipes but extremely simplified. The results are delicious so I'm sure that if I decided to follow the recipes to the letter, these would have been awesome.

Mejadra - Adapted from Jerusalem

Ingredients

1 tsp whole coriander seeds

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 1/2 cup brown basmati rice

1 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp cinnamon powder

1 tsp brown sugar

1 tsp chicken stock powder

2 1/2 cups water

1 can cooked lentils, drained

1 brown onion, sliced

Steps

In a saucepan, heat some olive oil on medium heat and fry the coriander seeds and cumin seeds until fragrant. Add the basmati rice and coat with the spices. Add the rest of the spices, including the water, except the onions. Let the water come to a boil, then place on low heat. Cook for 20-30 minutes. This will vary depending on the rice. While the rice is cooking, cook the onions in olive oil. I fried 1/4 of the onions then caramelised the rest. Once the rice is cooked, mix in the lentils. Serve warm and top with the fried onions.

Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Mushrooms

Ingredients

4 medium sized sweet potatoes, washed with skins intact

200g small fresh mushrooms

1-2 tsp balsamic vinegar - I used caramelised balsamic vinegar

Steps

Preheat the oven to 200C. Cut the sweet potatoes in half lengthwise, then into 3 on each half. Place these skin side down on a baking tray lined with foil. Cook in the oven for 20-25 minutes until soft. Set aside.

While the sweet potatoes are roasting, cook the mushrooms in some olive oil until cooked. Set aside.

To assemble, drizzle the balsamic vinegar on top of the sweet potatoes and mushrooms. Lightly toss to combine.

For the lamb chops, preheat the broiler to 250C. Place the lamb chops on a baking tray lined with foil and drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt and black pepper. Cook for 10-15 minutes or to your liking.