Description
Mujadara is a comforting Middle Eastern dish featuring tender lentils and aromatic basmati rice, topped with sweet caramelized onions and a fragrant blend of spices. This vegetarian recipe is flavorful, wholesome, and perfect as a main course or side dish.
Ingredients
Scale
Caramelized Onions
- 4 large onions white or yellow, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup water
- 1 tablespoon vinegar (apple cider or balsamic)
Other Ingredients
- 1 cup dried lentils (green or brown) + 4 cups water and 1 teaspoon salt to cook them
- ½ cup basmati rice + 3 cups water and ½ teaspoon salt to cook
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 4 scallions, finely chopped (reserve green tops for garnish)
- 2 cloves garlic, pressed or grated
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon coriander
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder (optional, not traditional)
- ⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes (or more to taste)
- ½ teaspoon salt (or more to taste)
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- 2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped (optional)
Serving Suggestions
- 4 wedges lemon
- 1 cup yogurt tahini sauce or plain Greek yogurt
Instructions
- Caramelize Onions: Slice 4 large onions thinly (about 1/5 inch or 1/2 cm). Sauté in 1 tablespoon olive oil with ¾ teaspoon salt and 1 tablespoon sugar for 5 minutes. Add 1 cup water, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 20 minutes until the liquid evaporates. Increase heat to high, add 1 tablespoon vinegar, stir for 2 minutes, then turn off heat and set aside.
- Cook Lentils: Bring 4 cups water to a boil, add 1 teaspoon salt and 1 cup rinsed dried lentils. Simmer for 30 minutes until lentils are tender but intact. Drain and set aside.
- Cook Rice: Bring 3 cups water to a boil, add ½ teaspoon salt and ½ cup rinsed basmati rice. Boil on low heat for 10 minutes until al dente. Drain and set aside.
- Make Flavor Base: Heat 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil in a large skillet. Add 4 chopped scallions (reserve green tops for garnish) and sauté for 2 minutes. Add 2 cloves pressed garlic, 1 teaspoon paprika, 1 teaspoon coriander, ½ teaspoon cumin, ½ teaspoon cinnamon, ½ teaspoon turmeric powder, and ⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes and sauté for 1 minute until fragrant.
- Combine Ingredients: Stir in cooked lentils, cooked rice, half of the caramelized onions, 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley, 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro (optional), ½ teaspoon salt, and ⅛ teaspoon black pepper. Sauté for a few minutes until everything is warm and well combined. Taste and adjust salt as needed.
- Serve: Transfer mujadara to a large serving platter. Top with remaining caramelized onions, reserved scallion tops, and additional parsley. Serve with lemon wedges and a bowl of Greek-style yogurt or yogurt tahini sauce. Optionally accompany with a fresh salad like fattoush, Shirazi, or cucumber-tomato salad.
Notes
- You can cook the onions, lentils, and rice up to 3 days in advance and store them in airtight containers in the refrigerator.
- Substitute brown basmati, long grain, short grain, jasmine, or regular brown rice for basmati rice.
- Lentils can be substituted with brown, green, black, or French lentils. Canned lentils may be used—drain and rinse before adding to skillet.
- Store-bought crispy fried onions can replace caramelized onions for convenience.
- One regular onion can substitute scallions if unavailable.
- Adjust spices to taste or substitute with Lebanese seven-spice mix (Bahārāt) if desired.
- Fresh mint can replace cilantro if preferred.
- Mujadara stores well refrigerated for 4–5 days or can be frozen for up to 3 months; reheat on stovetop or microwave.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 350 kcal
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 450 mg
- Fat: 7 g
- Saturated Fat: 1 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 60 g
- Fiber: 12 g
- Protein: 15 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
