Mujadara is one of the easiest yet most popular Middle Eastern rice dishes. It’s very quick and easy to prepare, yet very delicious and satisfying. Mujadara consists of cooked green lentils and rice, generously topped with crispy caramelized onions. Let me show you how to make Mujadara at home with this step-by-step recipe.
Contents
What is Mujadara?
Mujadara is a popular lentils and rice recipe from the Middle East. It’s popular across the Levant, from Lebanon, Syria to Jordan. What’s good to know is that there are various types of Mujadara in the Middle East. The most popular type is Mujadarra Roz (Mujadara with rice) which is made with rice and green lentils. It can also be made with bulgur or a different type of lentils (e.g. yellow lentils), which results in a different taste and texture.
Mujadara Ingredients
I’m going to show you how to make the classic Mujadara Roz, known as Lebanese Mujadara, using green lentils and rice. To make this dish, you’ll need the following ingredients:
- Rice: Rice is a key ingredient for Lebanese Mujadara. Basmati rice works great here as it results in a fluffy and non-sticky texture. You could use Jasmine rice (or a similar type of medium to long grain rice), too.
- Dried green lentils: Green lentils is the second key ingredient for classic Mujadara. Unlike some legumes (e.g. chickpeas), green lentils don’t need to be soaked beforehand! Use dried green lentils, not the canned ones.
- Onions: Caramelized onions are one of the unique features of Mujadara that give this dish its unique taste. Use large yellow onions.
- Seasonings: Cumin (powder), salt and a pinch of Seven Spice blend (Baharat) are all you need for Mujadara. You can make your own blend using my Seven Spice blend recipe or purchase a ready-made one online.
- Olive oil: Olive oil is needed to caramelize the onions. It will also add to the flavor of the rice and lentils.
- Water: Water is needed to wash the rice and lentils, as well as to cook them. See more information on the correct amount of water down the page.
Note: Quantities can be found in the recipe card at the end of this recipe and can be adjusted according to the amount of servings you’d like to make.
How to Make Mujadara?
I’ll show you how to make Mujadara in a conventional saucepan on the stovetop, as that’s what most people have at home. This method is easy and fast, as the cooking time is relatively short. No need for any fancy equipment here.
Ready to get cooking? Let’s get started! You’ll find the detailed step-by-step instructions below. For a shorter version (to print out), simply scroll down to the recipe card.
Step 1: Prepare the onions
Let’s start off by preparing the onions. Preparing them first will save you some time later on. Peel the onions, then cut them into halves and cut each half into thin slices.
Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium. Once the oil is heated, add the onions slices. Season with a pinch of salt and cumin and stir well. Fry the onions on low-medium heat for about 20 minutes while you prepare the remaining ingredients for Mujadara. Don’t forget to stir occasionally to ensure they are evenly browned.
Step 2: Boil the lentils
While the onions are frying, let’s prepare the remaining components for Mujadara. In a bowl or colander, briefly rinse the lentils to remove any dust.
Add the lentils to a large saucepan and add water (amount see recipe card). Bring to a boil on medium-high heat, and cook for about 15 minutes until they are about 75% cooked. Don’t add any salt at this point.
Step 3: Wash rice
Meanwhile, wash your rice. Put the rice in a large bowl and add plenty of water. Stir with your hands. Once the water runs clear, drain the water. Repeat this three times until the water runs relatively clear. By the way, washing rice shouldn’t be skipped as it will remove excess starch and make your fluffier and less sticky.
Step 4: Combine lentils, rice and seasonings
Once the lentils have cooked for about 15 minutes, add the washed rice to the saucepan. Season with salt, ground cumin and Seven Spice blend. By this time, your onions should be in the skillet for about 20 minutes. Remove about half of the fried onions from the skillet (along with some of the oil) and add them to the saucepan with the lentils and rice.
Bring to a boil on medium-high. The water should be at about the same level as the rice. If the water level is lower, add a bit of additional water. Boil on medium-high for about 1-2 minutes. Then, reduce the heat to low, add the lid to the saucepan and simmer on low heat for about 10-12 minutes until all the water is absorbed and both rice and lentils are tender.
Note: By the way, it’s important to boil the lentils alone before you add any rice. If you didn’t pre-cooking them, you’d end up with soft rice and semi-cooked lentils. To avoid this, we’ll cook them until they are about ¾ done before adding the rice (takes about 15 minutes). Then, we’ll add the rice and cook both for another 10-12 minutes (total cooking time for the green lentils is about 25-30 minutes).
Step 5: Crisp up onions
While the rice and lentils are simmering, we’ll finish our onions. These have been frying on low-medium heat for a bit more than 20 minutes by now, and we have added some of them to the rice in the previous step. At this point, your onions will be nicely browned and soft. I like my onions crispy, so I increase the heat to high at this stage and crisp them up for a couple of minutes, until they are dark brown and crispy. If you prepare soft caramelized onions, simply keep frying on low-medium for another 10 minutes.
Step 6: Assemble
Let’s get back to our main saucepan. Once the rice and lentils are tender and all the water has evaporated, turn off the stove. To improve the texture, let sit in the saucepan with the lid closed for another 5 minutes.
Then fluff up the rice in the saucepan, transfer onto a large serving tray or into individual plates. Top off the dish with the crispy fried onions from the skillet.
Serve with some plain whole-milk yogurt, yogurt sauce, and a simple chopped salad of your choice.
How to Eat
Mujadara is based on just a few staple ingredients. It’s the perfect comfort dish for busy work days or those days, where you just don’t feel like cooking. Forgot to buy meat and ran out of vegetables? Mujadara it is!
This easy Middle Eastern rice and lentil dish is commonly served for lunch or dinner. It’s a popular comfort food that makes a wonderful midweek meal for your family. It’s traditionally not a dish that you’d make on gatherings or special occasions.
Side Dishes: What to Serve with Mujadara
Mujadara is typically served with plain yogurt (whole-milk yogurt). You can also serve it with a yogurt sauce or cut up lemon. Rice and yogurt are a popular combination in the Middle East. A simple green salad of your choice (e.g. fattoush) also goes well with Mujadara.
Make Ahead & Storage
Mujadara can be perfectly prepared ahead of time. Store in the fridge for 2-3 days. Reheat in a saucepan or in the microwave.
Any Questions or Feedback?
If you liked this recipe, I’d appreciate it if you could leave a star rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ below. In case you’ve any questions or feedback, please leave me a comment (down the page). I’m happy to help you make delicious Middle Eastern food at home.
Learn Middle Eastern Cooking
Are you a new to Middle Eastern cuisine? Then this Middle Eastern cookbook is what you need! In addition to a varied choice of recipes, the cookbook offers plenty of insights on ingredients, cooking techniques and Middle Eastern food culture.
Mujadara (Lebanese Rice with Lentils)
Ingredients
Rice & Lentils
- 400 g (2 cups) Basmati rice
- 400 g (2 cups) green lentils
- 2 tsp groun cumin
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp Seven Spice blend see notes
- 1500 ml (3 cups) water see notes
Fried Onions
- 4 onions yellow, medium-large
- 60 ml olive oil
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/4 tsp salt
Instructions
- Peel the onions. Cut them into halves and cut each half into thin slices.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once the oil is heated, add the onion slices. Season with salt and cumin and stir well. Fry on low-medium for about 20 minutes while you prepare the remaining ingredients for Mujadara. Stir occasionally to ensure they brown evenly.
- Meanwhile, briefly rinse the lentils in a colander or bowl.
- Add the lentils to a saucepan and add water (amounts see recipe card). Bring to a boil on medium-high. Once the water is boiling, cook for about 15 minutes until the lentils are about 75% cooked.
- While the lentils are cooking, wash your rice three times (rice washing instructions see notes).
- Once the lentils have cooked for 15 minutes, add the washed rice to the saucepan. Season with salt, ground cumin and Seven Spice (info see below). Add about half of the onions from the skillet to the saucepan (after +/- 20 mins of frying them). Bring to a boil on medium-high and cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Reduce the heat to low, add the lid to the skillet and simmer for 10-12 minutes.
- Meanwhile, crisp up the remaining onions in the skillet by frying them for another couple of minutes on high heat (stir often).
- Once the rice and lentils are tender, let sit in the saucepan for 5 minutes. Then, serve on a serving platter or on individual plates and top with the crispy fried onions. Serve with yogurt, yogurt sauce and a salad of your choice.
Video
Notes
- Seven Spice: Seven Spice (also known as Baharat) is a Middle Eastern spice blend. You can easily make your own spice blend with my Seven Spice recipe. Alternatively, you’ll find the ready-made blend at any Middle Eastern grocery store. No Baharat and no time to make your own? Substitute with ground cinnamon, coriander and cumin (⅓ tsp of each for 1 tsp Seven Spice). Those are the three most important spices in Seven Spice.
- Unlike other lentils and legumes, soaking is not required with green lentils. Be sure to use dried lentils, not canned lentils.
- Always wash the rice thoroughly. This is to remove any unnecessary starch residues. Your rice will be fluffier and less sticky. To wash your rice, add it into a large bowl and add water. Stir with your hands. The water will turn whitish (due to the starch). Drain and repeat three times until the water runs relatively clear.
- It’s important that you add the right amount of water when cooking the lentils, as lentils and rice will be cooked in the same pot. You might need more water than indicated. Start with the amount indicated in the recipe card and add more if needed. As a rule of thumb, the water level should be at about the same level as the rice after you mix lentils, rice and onions.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is only a rough estimate and may vary depending on factors such as the cooking method, exact weight, type, and brand of ingredients used.
Soooo goooddd