Mujadara is a traditional middle eastern dish and is an absolute crowd pleaser! Made with rice and black lentils, it’s so easy to make, flavorful, and nutrient packed!
I love cooking, but sometimes I just need a comforting dish that’s easy without skimping out on flavor.
Mujadara is a traditional middle eastern dish that is made primarily of white rice, black lentils, and crispy onions and it’s SO GOOD. It kind of reminds me a little of a biryani.
The spices in this are so simple, yet so flavorful AND it’s so easy to make!
The thing that’s the hardest for me is chopping the onions because I cannot do it without crying (tips much appreciated in the comments below)
Ingredients in Mujadara
White rice: I use long grain basmati rice because I feel like Jasmine rice goes well with more East Asian dishes, but use whatever you have on hand!
Black lentils: I get these ones from Amazon! I also like to soak these the night before (or at least 4 hours before I make them) to make them easier to digest!
Onions: I used yellow onions and I chopped them up in slices, but whatever type of onion you have will work. We’re going to use 2 of them so be prepared for a lot of crying while cutting- sorry :/ (it’ll be worth it)
Spices: the spices are so simple for this dish! Simply cumin seeds, Indian red chili powder, and black pepper! I also added bay leaves, but those are totally optional!
Herbs: I added some cilantro and green onion for an extra boost of flavor!
How to make Mujadara:
Prep: Slice 2 of your onions. Chop the green onion and cilantro.
Cook Lentils: In a large pot, boil 2 cups of water. Once boiling, cook the lentils for 7-10 minutes until they’re almost all the way cooked. Drain the lentils.
Fry Onions: While the lentils are cooking, in a large pan, heat the oil to medium heat. Add in the sliced onions and cook until the onions are golden brown. This will take around 20 – 30 minutes. Make sure to stir often. So that they don’t burn!
Once golden brown, take out 2 tbsp of onion. Place on a plate line with paper towel. We will be reserving this for topping!
Let the rest of the onions cook for another 10-15 minutes until they’re crispier and more brown.
Once done, spoon the onions out of the pan onto a seperate plate with a paper towel on top so some of the oil drains out.
Cook Rice & Lentils: To the first large pot you used to boil the lentils, add in 2 cups of veggie broth, the bay leaves, and the spices. Once boiling, add in the lentils, rice, salt and black pepper. Add in the fried onions and green onions.
Stir to combine well, cover and slightly lower heat and let cook for 20 ish minutes or until all the water is gone and the rice and lentils are fully cooked.
Stir in the cilantro.
Top with the reserved fried onion and sauce of choice!
I like to use tahini or hummus!
Why is this meal balanced?
This meal is naturally so well balanced, which makes it so satisfying!
Protein: the black lentils here is our main source of protein! I feel like a lot of us don’t really eat black lentils too often, so this is a great way to get some diversity in!
Carbs: The white rice here is going to give us lots of energy!
Fat: the olive oil and whatever sauce you top it with is going to keep you nice and satisfied!
Storage:
Store covered in the fridge for up to 5 days
If you like this recipe, make sure to check out:
Cozy Lentil & Sweet Potato Stew
Authentic & Easy Mujadara
Ingredients
- 1 cup black lentils soaked and rinsed
- 2 cups water
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 yellow onions diced
- 2 cups veggie broth
- 2 bay leaves optional
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1/2 tsp red chilli powder
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup green onion chopped
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
- 1 cup white rice soaked
Instructions
- In a large pot, boil 2 cups of water. Once boiling, cook the lentils for 7-10 minutes until par boiled. Drain the lentils.
- In a large pan, heat the oil to medium heat. Add in the diced onions and cook until the onions are golden brown. This will take around 20 minutes. Stir often.
- Once golden brown, take out 2 tbsp of onion. Place on a plate line with paper towel. Let the rest of the onions cook for another 10-15 minutes.
- Once done, spoon the onions out of the pan onto a seperate plate with a paper towel on top so some of the oil drains out.
- Reserve 1 tbsp of the oil.
- To the first large pot you used, add in 2 cups of veggie broth, the bay leaves, the oil and the spices. Once boiling, add in the lentils and rice and salt and black pepper. Add in fried onions and green onions. Stir to combine and cover and slightly lower heat and let cook for 20 ish minutes
- Top with reserved fried onion and sauce of choice.
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