Description
Mujadara is a comforting Middle Eastern dish featuring tender lentils and fluffy basmati rice topped with sweet caramelized onions. This flavorful and aromatic recipe combines spices like cumin, cinnamon, and paprika to create a warmly spiced vegetarian main or side dish that pairs beautifully with yogurt and fresh lemon wedges.
Ingredients
Scale
Caramelized Onions
- 4 large onions white or yellow
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup water
- 1 tablespoon vinegar apple cider or balsamic
Lentils and Rice
- 1 cup dried lentils green or brown
- 4 cups water (for cooking lentils)
- 1 teaspoon salt (for cooking lentils)
- 1/2 cup basmati rice
- 3 cups water (for cooking rice)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt (for cooking rice)
Flavor Base and Garnish
- 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
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder (optional)
- 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes or more to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon salt or more to taste
- 1/8 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 the onions thinly about 1/5 inch or 1/2 cm thick. Heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat and sauté onions with salt and sugar for 5 minutes until they start to soften. Add water, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 20 minutes until the liquid evaporates. Increase heat to high, add vinegar, stir for 2 minutes, then turn off heat and set aside.
- Cook Lentils: Bring 4 cups water to a boil in a pot, add salt and rinsed lentils. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes until lentils are tender but intact. Drain and set aside.
- Cook Rice: Bring 3 cups water to a boil, add salt and rinsed basmati rice. Lower heat and cook for 10 minutes until rice is al dente. Drain and set aside.
- Make Flavor Base: Heat extra virgin olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add chopped scallions (reserve tops for garnish) and sauté for 2 minutes until softened. Add garlic, paprika, coriander, cumin, cinnamon, turmeric, red pepper flakes and sauté for 1 minute until fragrant.
- Combine Ingredients: Stir in cooked lentils, rice, half of the caramelized onions, parsley, cilantro (if using), salt, and black pepper. Sauté for a few minutes until mixture is warmed through and flavors are well combined. Adjust salt to taste.
- Serve: Transfer mujadara to a large platter and top with the remaining caramelized onions, reserved scallion tops, and extra parsley. Serve with lemon wedges and a bowl of yogurt or tahini sauce on the side, along with fresh salads like fattoush or cucumber-tomato salad if desired.
Notes
- You can prepare the onions, lentils, and rice up to 3 days ahead and store in airtight containers in the refrigerator.
- Substitute basmati with any long grain rice like jasmine or standard brown rice. You can also use canned lentils drained and rinsed instead of dried lentils to save time.
- For caramelized onions, store-bought crispy fried onions can be used as a convenient substitute.
- If you don’t have scallions, substitute with one medium onion finely chopped.
- Spices are flexible; adjust quantities to taste or substitute with Lebanese seven-spice mix (Bahārāt) if available.
- Cilantro can be substituted with fresh mint leaves for a different flavor profile.
- The dish keeps well refrigerated for 4-5 days and freezes for up to 3 months. Reheat gently in a microwave or stovetop with a little olive oil.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 330 kcal
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 400 mg
- Fat: 7 g
- Saturated Fat: 1 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 56 g
- Fiber: 14 g
- Protein: 15 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
