Beirut Dirty Rice - Chef Recipe by Struan Preston.

Ingredients

100g puy lentils
300g long grain rice
200g wild rice
10 cloves fresh garlic
1 bunch coriander
1 bunch parsley
1 bunch mint
10 pieces sun-dried tomato
1/2 pomegranate arils
20g za'atar
Flake salt to taste

Dressing:

100g lemon juice
30g Dijon mustard
5g caster sugar
50g white wine vinegar
250g vegetable oil
10g flake salt

Method

We serve this menu item at room temperature as an accompaniment to a main meal but it can be a stand-alone dish. All components can be made a day or two in advance but do not combine until ready to serve.

Wild rice takes the longest to cook so this is where we start. First, give it a rinse in cold water. You’ll need a large pot that can handle a 3:1 ratio of water to rice. Bring the rice to a boil, occasionally whisking allowing it to move.

Once boiling, reduce heat to medium-high. It will take around 40 minutes to cook the rice and you may need to add a little bit more water depending on the size of your pot. It’s going to be drained off so don’t worry about adding too much.

You’ll notice the rice looking like its splitting open and showing the white innards; once the majority of rice is displaying this you can drain it off and run under cold water to stop the cooking process.

Drain the rice and place into the fridge to cool.

Add lentils to a large pot, cover with cold water and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to medium-high, stirring gently occasionally for approximately 15 minutes or until they are just cooked. They should be just past al dente. Immediately drain hot water and rinse the lentils under cold water to stop the cooking process. Drain off all remaining liquid and set aside in the fridge.

It’s important not to salt the water as this will soften the lentil skins too much and they will become mushy.

For the long grain rice, it is important to wash the rice three times in cold water before cooking.

Once this process is complete put the rice in a pot, place your index finger on the top of the rice and add water up to your first knuckle. Give a quick stir with a whisk and then bring to the boil, reduce to the lowest heat and cover continue to cook for around 8 minutes.

The rice should be soft enough to eat but not have lost its structure. Once ready, rinse under cold water to stop the cooking process and store in the fridge.

De-seed the pomegranate and set aside the arils in a bowl keeping them in their juice until served to avoid drying out.

Depending on the size of the sun-dried tomatoes and your love for them, cut them to your preferred size and add as much as you’d like.

Chop up the herbs - keep them rough, so they don’t get lost in the rice. Set aside.

For the dressing:

You’ll need a high-speed blender, stick blender, or food processor. Start by blending garlic, lemon juice, salt, sugar, Dijon and vinegar until well combined. Keep the speed up to full on the blender and slowly drizzle in the oil. If you go too quickly it will split, so don’t rush this process. Take a minute or two to incorporate it all.

Taste and adjust to your preference, however, be mindful that once it is combined with the other ingredients it will mellow, so you want it to be zesty and powerful.

Plating:

Gently mix all ingredients in a large bowl, while adding the lemon dressing. Don’t incorporate all of the dressing or the mixture may become soggy.

Season with flake salt to your preferred taste. Place the mix into your serving bowl, splash some more dressing on top and finish with za’atar and fresh herbs.

Recipe provided by Bar Beirut