Last Updated on June 9, 2022
Mujaddara Recipe
Mujadara is an amazingly simple, delicious and spice-less vegan dish in Lebanese cuisine (and many other countries’) made simply with lentils, rice and salt. It has no spices whatsoever. It is typically garnished with caramelized onions and served with a side of plain yogurt and possibly Fattoush Salad. In Lebanese cuisine, what we refer to as Mujaddara Recipe may point to at least one of two variants: the Lentils with Rice Mujadara that’s featured in this post, and another version made with kidney beans, Bulgur .
History of Lebanese Mujaddara
“Mujaddara bi Adas” is how we say it in Arabic, and which translates to Mujadara with lentils. In North Lebanon with our cute (aka heavy) array of accents, we call it “Mjaddra” or “Mjaddro” as you go higher in the mountains…
Important Notes For Lebanese Lentils With Caramelized Onions
- Cooking times and methods will need to be adjusted if you choose a different variety. Cooking the lentils and rice separately until tender, drain well, and then mixing them together is the easiest workaround.
- Additionally, it can be used with uncooked brown or green lentils (but not beluga/french green lentils or red, yellow, or black lentils).
FAQs
What does Mujadara mean in English?
Mujadara is an Arabic word meaning “pockmarked.” It is a dish made with lentils, rice (or bulgur), and onions.
How do you make caramelized onions for Mujadara?
In a large, heavy sauté pan or saucepan, heat the canola oil or grapeseed oil to medium heat. Stir frequently to avoid burning the onions until they are golden brown, about 20 minutes. As the onions cook, sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Remove the onions from the heat and stir in 2 cups of water.
Lebanese Mujadara Recipe - Vegan Lentils With Rice
Ingredients
- 2 cups lentils
- 1 and 1/4 cups Basmati rice or any other rice
- 4 onions chopped and caramelized
- 5 cups water
- 1/3 cup oil to sautee the onions
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Rinse the lentils with cold water and remove any apparent debris.
- Add the lentils to a pot with 5 cups of water, bring to a boil over medium heat, then reduce heat, cover, and let simmer for 20-25 minutes or until lentils are tender.
- Add rice, salt and the olive oil to the pot and stir well. You may need to add 1/2 cup of water if a lot of water had evaporated already. Cover and let simmer on low heat for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, peel and chop the onions lengthwise and fry them in 1/4 cup of coconut or vegetable oil, for about 20 minutes or until they’re caramelized (dark brown). Strain from excess oil and set aside.
- Once rice is fully cooked, mix the pot well, then pour it in your serving plate and garnish it with the caramelized onions.
- Serve hot or cold with an optional side of plain/Greek yogurt.
My mother in law made this, but put it through like a sieve. Is this the same recipe?
I like this dish…. Its one of the healthiest and lightest dish one can have
I too had mushy lentils and slightly underdone rice after following this recipe. Taste was fine as the onions caramelized well and were added for the last 10 minutes of cooking.
Hello,
In India, we have a dish that is called “Khichdi” in the North and in the East as well. The Southerns call it “Pongal”. It is made in a similar manner with similar ingredients. Cooked rice, lentils and seasoned with onions, five-spice and red chilies. Many times, people add vegetables like potatoes, beans, carrots, eggplants, etc. to make it a complete meal by itself. It is also served during festivals when we are required to eat vegetarian. I appreciate the fact that through the internet, I’m getting to learn about the food cultures of other countries, without having to leave my home. This is amazing, to see we have so much in common. I liked your website. I have eaten the baba-ghanoush, falafel(sandwich) from Lebanese cuisine and I like them enough to make them a part of my food-habit. Again, they are similar to what we make here (baba-ghanoush=Baingan-bharta, falafel=dal pakoda in India). Wishing you good health and hope you share more.
Thank you Sutapa for your comments. I love Indian food, and I also noticed some similarities in basic ingredients and basic dishes. Interesting how many cultures in the world have such similar dishes. I learned not too long ago that our cabbage rolls recipe has a replica in Bulgaria or Hungary too… very cool!
Dear Edgar ,
In the all area of the Balcans ,meaning Serbia,Boulgaria,Roumania and further up in Hungary (Central Europe)are various gabbage roles called “Sarma” .For Christmas they use the pickled gabbage and a mixture of hlf veal half pork minced meat plus tomato juice and spices . They also do stuffed wineleafs with minced meat and egg and lemon sauce ,served with Greek yogurt on top or smetana which is a lighter cream they use .In greece where i live we do in Nothern Greece the sauer crout version of the Balcan area ,as well as the fresh gabbage ,or the wineleafs versions with meat but also stuffed winelefs with rice and herbs and spices in the summer .
there’s no Cumin or Pepper in it plz?
Hi Nat – on our end we don’t put any spices in the Mudardara/Lentils and rice. The flavoring comes from the grains themselves, as well as the onions.
It was cold and raining here yesterday, so my son and I whipped up a pot of this and had it with tabouleh and pocket bread as a comfort meal. I just reheated some leftovers and had it for breakfast instead of porridge. This is a favourite meal/snack in our family and I don’t make it often enough…
My mujdara came out very mushy and the rice was still a little undercooked 🙁 what went wrong?
Sorry to hear Lucy.. lentils may have different cooking time depending on how fresh they are.. so you may want to try to delay putting the lentils in next time around.
You might like to try using lentils du Puy, a variety grown in France. They have an earthy flavor and keep their shape when cooked. You might also soak the rice to remove the starch. If soaked, the rice takes about only 10 minutes to cook, and not a half hour, and the mixture will not turn into a mushy paste.
I LOVE this dish – I grew up eating it all the time. I’m not sure if it’s my stove (too hot) or my crappy pans (stainless steel) though – every time I make riz or mjadara, it burns to the bottom of the pan. Any tips to avoid this?
Thanks for stopping by Aaron. A very hot stove can cause the burning/sticking of rice to the bottom of the pan.. This happens with us sometimes so we make sure to cook it on lower heat.
Lower the heat as much as possible and don’t let the water dry out while cooking, instead, take it out of the heat a little before and let it standing by covered until the rest of water is absorbed.
yes Aaron, it’s the lentils and rice in this country! blame it on them! i suggest you cook the two separately and mix after adding cumin and salt!
Mudardara is one of my absolute favorites! Great post!