Mujadara

5 from 40 votes

Mujadara or Mujaddara is a simple but exquisite dish of rice and lentils flavored with golden, crisp, caramelized onions. It is a classic recipe from Arabic cuisine. My even healthier but authentic mujadara is also infused with the fresh and delicious goodness of leeks.

Prep Time10

Cook Time25

Total Time35

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Lebanese

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

Servings: servings

Calories: 308kcal

Author: Vaishali · Holy Cow Vegan

Ingredients

1½ cups brown lentils
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 large red onions (or yellow onions, finely sliced)
2 leeks (cleaned thoroughly of all grit. Trim the roots and slice the white and green parts into thin ribbons.)
5 cloves garlic (minced or finely crushed)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 teaspoon allspice powder
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
2 bay leaves
1-inch stick of cinnamon
1 cup basmati rice (or other long-grain rice, raw)
4 cups vegetable stock (or water)
Salt to taste

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Wash the lentils and place them in a saucepan. Cover with an inch of water. Bring to a boil, cover, lower heat to simmer, and let the lentils cook for 8 minutes. Once the lentils are semi-tender, turn off the heat. Drain the lentils before adding them to the pot.
In a large saucepan or sauté pan, add olive oil along with the thinly sliced onions, a pinch of salt and ground black pepper to taste.
Saute the onions over medium heat, stirring them frequently, until they are golden brown and crispy at the edges. Remove the onions with a slotted spoon to a plate lined with paper towels. Set aside.
To the same saucepan with the remaining oil, add the thinly sliced leeks. Add a pinch of salt and sauté until the leeks caramelize and turn brown.
Add the garlic to the saucepan and sauté for 30 seconds.
Stir in the spices--ground allspice, ground cumin, bay leaves and cinnamon stick. Mix.
Add the rice to the saucepan and saute for a couple of minutes until the rice turns slightly opaque.
Stir in the cooked, drained lentils. Add four cups water or vegetable stock to the pan. Bring to a boil, stir once, then turn heat down to low. Cover and cook 25 minutes. Let the mujadara stand 10 minutes after cooking before you remove the lid. Stir in the caramelized onions. Fluff the rice and lentils with a fork before serving.

Notes

Variations

To make this recipe with brown rice, cook the rice separately in a large pot of boiling water with the spices added, until the rice is about 70 percent done. Strain out all the water before using.
To add more healthfulness to this recipe, I sometimes cook the mujaddara with spinach or other quick-cooking greens. To do this, open the pot after the rice and lentils have been cooking for 15 minutes. Spread four cups of leafy greens (chopped if using larger greens) on top of the mujaddara. Cover and continue cooking for 10 more minutes.

Storage instructions

Refrigerate: You can refrigerate the mujadara for up to three days.
Freeze: Freeze the mujadara in an airtight, freezer-safe container for up to three months.
Reheat: Thaw and reheat individual portions in the microwave, or reheat all of the mujadara in an oven-safe pan in a 350-degree Fahrenheit/180-degree Celsius oven.

Nutrition