Description
Mujadara is a traditional Middle Eastern dish made of lentils, rice, and caramelized onions, offering a hearty and comforting vegetarian meal. This recipe uses either brown or white rice combined with green or brown lentils, enhanced with spices like cumin and bay leaves, and topped with crispy caramelized onions for added flavor and texture.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients
- 5 small-medium (500 g) onions, sliced
- 1.5 cups (300 g) green or brown lentils
- 1 cup (180 g) brown rice or white rice
- 5 to 5 ½ cups water, divided
- 1 tbsp veggie bouillon powder
- 1 ½ tsp salt, divided
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 2 bay leaves
- Black pepper to taste
- 2 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- Soak Rice and Lentils: If using brown rice, soak it for 20 minutes and drain. Soak lentils separately in cold water for even cooking, then drain. For white rice, soak both lentils and rice separately for 20 minutes, then drain.
- Cook Brown Rice: Add soaked brown rice and 2 ½ cups water to a large pot. Bring to a boil, add veggie bouillon powder, 1 tsp salt, black pepper, and bay leaves. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Add Lentils to Brown Rice: Add drained lentils and 3 cups water to the pot. Stir and cover. When boiling again, reduce heat and simmer for 25 minutes until tender.
- Cook White Rice and Lentils (Alternative): Add lentils with 3 cups water, bouillon powder, salt, pepper, and bay leaves to pot. Cover and simmer 7-10 minutes. Add soaked white rice with 2 cups water, bring to boil, reduce heat, and cook covered for 18-20 minutes until tender. Drain excess water if necessary.
- Caramelize Onions: Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add sliced onions and stir. Reduce heat to medium, cover, and cook for 10 minutes. Uncover, add cumin and ½ tsp salt, and cook uncovered for another 5-10 minutes until the onions are deeply browned and crispy, increasing heat if desired.
- Combine and Rest: Remove bay leaves from the rice and lentil mixture. Stir in about two-thirds of the caramelized onions into the pot, reserving the rest for garnish. Turn off heat and let the mixture rest covered for a few minutes.
- Serve: Spoon the mujadara into bowls. Top with reserved caramelized onions, dairy-free yogurt (optional), and fresh herbs such as parsley or cilantro. Enjoy warm.
Notes
- Use brown or green lentils only; yellow or red lentils will become mushy.
- Cooking times vary by rice type: brown rice ~45 minutes, white rice ~20 minutes, basmati rice ~15 minutes. Adjust accordingly.
- The total cooking time does not include soaking time.
- For a crispier onion topping, increase the heat during the final caramelizing step.
- Dairy-free yogurt and fresh herbs enhance the flavor but are optional.
- If excess water remains after cooking white rice and lentils, drain it to avoid sogginess.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 320 kcal
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 450 mg
- Fat: 8 g
- Saturated Fat: 1 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 50 g
- Fiber: 12 g
- Protein: 12 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
