Description
Mujadara is a flavorful Middle Eastern dish featuring cooked lentils and rice topped with caramelized onions. This vegetarian recipe combines brown or green lentils with either brown or white rice, simmered with spices and vegetable bouillon, then garnished with crispy caramelized onions and fresh herbs for a comforting and nutritious meal.
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
- 5-5 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
- Prepare Rice and Lentils: If using brown rice, soak it for 20 minutes and drain. Add soaked brown rice and 2 ½ cups of water to a large pot and bring to a boil. Stir in veggie bouillon powder, 1 tsp salt, black pepper, and bay leaves. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, soak lentils in cold water and drain for better cooking.
- Add Lentils: After 20 minutes of cooking the brown rice, add drained lentils and 3 cups of water to the pot. Stir, cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 25 minutes.
- Caramelize Onions: While rice and lentils cook, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add sliced onions and cook covered for about 10 minutes. Uncover, stir well, add cumin and ½ tsp salt, then continue cooking uncovered for 5 to 10 minutes until onions are deeply caramelized and crispy. Increase heat if a crispier texture is desired.
- Check Doneness: Once lentils and rice have cooked, check for tenderness. If needed, simmer a few extra minutes. Then turn off heat and keep covered for resting.
- Assemble and Serve: Remove bay leaves from pot. Stir in about two-thirds of caramelized onions into lentil and rice mixture. Reserve remaining onions for garnish. Serve portions topped with remaining caramelized onions, dairy-free yogurt, and fresh herbs such as parsley or cilantro.
Notes
- If using white rice, soak lentils and rice separately for 20 minutes, then drain. Add lentils with 3 cups fresh water, bouillon powder, salt, pepper, and bay leaves to pot and simmer covered for 7 to 10 minutes. Add rice with 2 cups water, bring to boil, then cover and cook 18 to 20 minutes until tender. Drain any remaining water.
- Use only brown or green lentils as red or yellow lentils may become mushy.
- Cooking time varies by rice type: brown rice takes about 45 minutes, white rice 20 minutes, white basmati 15 minutes.
- Total cooking time excludes soaking time.
- For a crispier onion topping, increase heat during the final caramelization stage.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 320 kcal
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 500 mg
- Fat: 8 g
- Saturated Fat: 1 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 52 g
- Fiber: 12 g
- Protein: 14 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
