Basai Badawi (Onions with Lentils Nuts & Fruit)
Submitted by baldwin
Whole onions stuffed with red lentils, dates, walnuts, raisins, and yogurt in this Bedouin-inspired vegetarian dish. Baked until golden and served with saffron rice or bulgur.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
50 minCOOK
40 minREADY
90 minThis is Bedouin cooking adapted for the vegetarian table, and it’s unlike anything you’ll find in a typical recipe collection.
Whole onions get simmered until tender, then hollowed out to become edible bowls for a filling that reads like a Middle Eastern pantry raid: cooked red lentils, chopped dates, walnuts, raisins, plain yogurt, and breadcrumbs to bind it all together.
The sweet-savory filling bakes inside the onion shells until everything melds and the tops turn golden.
Any extra filling gets mixed with the chopped onion centers and spooned around the base, creating a saucy bed that soaks up the flavors.
Serve alongside bulgur or rice cooked with saffron or turmeric for a golden, fragrant plate that feels like a feast.
Variations
- Add a pinch of cinnamon or cumin to the filling for a warmer, spicier profile that leans into the Middle Eastern roots.
- Swap walnuts for pistachios and dates for dried apricots for a brighter, more colorful filling.
Kitchen Tips
- Simmer the onions just until tender, not soft. They need to hold their shape as stuffing vessels in the oven.
- Leave the onion shell about ¾ inch thick. Too thin and they collapse; too thick and the filling gets lost.
- Don’t waste the scooped-out onion centers. Chop them and fold into the extra filling mixture for the base of the baking dish.
Ingredients
Directions
This is a vegetarian version of a Bedouin dish.
If you serve it with rice, try adding saffron or tumeric to the rice before cooking.
It adds a distinctive flavor as well as color, creating ‘red’ rice.
Peel the onions and place them in a large pan of boiling water.
Reduce the heat and let them simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, covered, until they are fairly tender.
When they are ready, take them out and set aside to cool.
Now remove the centre section of each onion, to leave a shell about ¾ inch thick.
In a bowl, mix together the lentils, pepper, salt, yogurt, dates, walnuts, raisins or sultanas and bread crumbs.
Fill the onions with this mixture.
Keep any that remains and mix it with the chopped discarded onion centres.
Place the filled onions in an oven proof dish, spoon any remaining mixture around them and cook for about 20 minutes.
Garnish with parsley ands serve with bulgur or ‘red’ rice (see note above).
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