Beef and Lentil Bowl with Tahini Dressing

At our café, we add strips of beef cooked with heady shawarma spices to a traditionally vegetarian dish of rice and lentils. The deeply browned, crispy onions are the heart of the dish, so don’t rush that step or they will burn and make the oil bitter. Toasting the lentils and rice in the onion-flavored oil gives the dish a richness and depth of flavor you don’t often find in a simple bowl of lentils. Use any leftover flavored oil for pilafs and dressings or to sauté meat.