Lebanese Mujadara Recipe
Traditional Lebanese Mujadara made with rice, lentils, crispy onions, olive oil, and cumin served with optional cucumber yogurt.
Servings: 8 servings
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup long grain or basmati white rice rinsed
- 4 ½ cups water plus more for soaking the rice
- ½ cup olive oil
- 2 large yellow onions thinly sliced
- 2 cups brown lentils rinsed and drained
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- Cucumber Yogurt Sauce for serving
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, cover the rice with cold water. Set aside.
- Line a plate with two paper towels. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over high heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring constantly, until the onions are deeply browned and start to crisp around the edges, about 20 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer to the plate and set aside. They will continue to crisp as they cool. Reserve the oil from cooking the onions.
- Add the lentils to another pot, add water and stir to combine. Bring everything to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and cover with a tight-fitting lid. Cook for 15 minutes.
- Drain the soaked rice, rinse and transfer it to the pot with the lentils along with the salt. Stir once, then cover again with a tight-fitting lid and cook undisturbed for 15 minutes.
- Remove the pot from the heat. Rest, covered, for 5 minutes longer. Add the cumin and fluff the rice and lentils with a fork to combine.
- Pour the reserved oil on top of the mujadara. Then spoon the crispy onions on top. Serve warm, with cucumber yogurt sauce if desired.
Video
Notes
Nutritional information does not include the cucumber yogurt sauce.
My Top Tip: Be confident when cooking the onions. It may seem like a long time to cook onions over high heat, but when frying 2 large onions in 1/2 cup of oil, stirring constantly, nothing should burn. The onion's moisture, plus the amount of oil, helps to caramelize and crisp them up. Doing this while the lentils and rice cook in a separate pot is a great way to utilize your time while working on such a hands-on part of the recipe.
Storage: Store any leftovers in an airtight container. They will last about 4-5 days in the fridge.
Freezing: You can freeze the mujadara for up to 3 months. To re-heat, thaw in the fridge overnight and microwave until heated through.
This recipe has been updated in November 2023, but if you like the original version, you can still find it here and watch in the recipe video:
2.5 cups small brown lentils rinsed
6 cups water
1 cup long grain rice rinsed and soaked
1 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons olive oil divided
6 onions 5 chopped, and 1 sliced
1 teaspoon cumin
Instructions
Bring lentils and water to a boil, simmer and cook covered until the lentils are tender but not fully cooked, about 15 minutes (there will be liquid leftover)
Drain the soaked rice, add to the pot of lentils and season with salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook covered until the rice is tender, about 18 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat. Allow the rice to rest in the pot for about 5 minutes, without opening the lid, to absorb all the liquid and steam.
In a separate large pan, heat two tablespoons of olive oil on medium heat and fry the chopped onions until golden brown, about 10-15 minutes. Transfer on top of the lentils and rice mixture, add cumin and toss to combine.
In the same large pan used to cook the onions, heat the remaining olive oil on medium heat and fry the sliced onions until golden brown and caramelized, about 15 minutes. In the last couple minutes of frying the onions, you can turn up the heat to high to get a crispy texture.
Serve the caramelized onions on top of mujadara with yogurt and mint, if desired.
6 cups water
1 cup long grain rice rinsed and soaked
1 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons olive oil divided
6 onions 5 chopped, and 1 sliced
1 teaspoon cumin
Instructions
Bring lentils and water to a boil, simmer and cook covered until the lentils are tender but not fully cooked, about 15 minutes (there will be liquid leftover)
Drain the soaked rice, add to the pot of lentils and season with salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook covered until the rice is tender, about 18 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat. Allow the rice to rest in the pot for about 5 minutes, without opening the lid, to absorb all the liquid and steam.
In a separate large pan, heat two tablespoons of olive oil on medium heat and fry the chopped onions until golden brown, about 10-15 minutes. Transfer on top of the lentils and rice mixture, add cumin and toss to combine.
In the same large pan used to cook the onions, heat the remaining olive oil on medium heat and fry the sliced onions until golden brown and caramelized, about 15 minutes. In the last couple minutes of frying the onions, you can turn up the heat to high to get a crispy texture.
Serve the caramelized onions on top of mujadara with yogurt and mint, if desired.
Nutrition
Calories: 386kcal | Carbohydrates: 50g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Sodium: 13mg | Potassium: 534mg | Fiber: 15g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 26IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 48mg | Iron: 4mg
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