Mujadara, spiced lentils with rice and crispy fried onions, is a very popular dish in the Middle East, vegetarian, vegan, and simple with a delicious mix of flavors and textures, which can be eaten hot or at room temperature.
The Mujadara and its Becoming
Rumors say that the first written recipe for mujadara is found in an Iraqi cookbook from the year 1226.
Want to know how to pronounce mujadara, mejadra, or mujaddara? Listen here. The transcription of the regional names has resulted in mujadara, mujaddará, mejadra, mudardara…
The name means something like “pox‑marked,” referring to the appearance of the lentils on top of the rice. It’s not very pretty, to be honest.
The base of this dish is green or brown lentils, stewed with spices along with rice. In some areas, such as Palestine and Israel, bulgur is substituted for rice.
The Mujaddara’s Recipe
The recipe I use comes from the book Jerusalem by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi. Ottolenghi, an Israeli from Jerusalem, owns several restaurants in the UK with a simple and very natural cuisine that has become famous almost worldwide; Tamimi is an Arab from Jerusalem and the head chef of the Ottolenghi restaurants.
Both have published several books, all highly recommended, but this one about Jerusalem, in which they evoke the dishes of their hometown, is especially beautiful and reads like a novel, as the English say.
I find that much of the deliciousness of this dish lies in the spicing: it seems like a lot by our standards, but I assure you it tastes delicious.
The original recipe calls for basmati rice, which I’ve substituted with short‑grain brown rice; whole grain is always better for our health. I’ve also swapped the green or brown lentils for caviar or beluga lentils, which are small and dark, because they don’t soften as easily. Honestly, anyone who grew up eating this dish might want to kick me out.
Mujadara Recipe (Step-by-Step) GUIDE)
Preparation: 10 min
Cooked: 1 hour
Total: 1 hour 10 min
Lentil and rice stew with fried onions
| Author | Fatima |
|---|---|
| Recipe type | Starters |
| Cuisine | Arabic |
| Servings | 8 |
Ingredients
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Lentils | 250 g |
| Water for cooking | as needed |
| Olive oil | 3 tbsp. |
| Cumin seeds | 2 tsp. |
| Coriander seeds | 1½ tsp. |
| Turmeric | ½ tsp. |
| Ground allspice | 1½ tsp. |
| Ground cinnamon | 1½ tsp. |
| Basmati or brown rice | 200 g |
| Water for the rice | 400 ml |
| Onions | 700 g |
| Sunflower or mild olive oil | 300 ml |
| Salt | to taste |
Instructions
- Weigh the lentils, put them in a saucepan with cold water, bring to a boil and let simmer until tender. Salt and set aside with the liquid.
- Measure the spices; grind or crush the allspice in a mortar.
- Put the tablespoons of olive oil in a saucepan and toast the whole coriander and cumin seeds for 1‑2 minutes. Add the ground spices and stir quickly, as they burn easily.
- Add the rice and stir it a few times with a wooden spoon so that it absorbs the oil and spices. Season with salt to taste.
- Pour in the water and bring to a boil. Cover the pot.
- When there are 10 minutes left for the rice to finish cooking, add the drained lentils, reserving some of their cooking liquid in case the stew dries out before the end of the cooking time. Although in the end, there should be very little liquid left at the bottom.
- While the rice and lentils are finishing cooking, slice the onions into strips or rings. Heat the sunflower or olive oil in a saucepan or deep pot, and fry over high heat until golden brown (be careful not to burn them, as they will become bitter).
- Remove with a slotted spoon to a dish lined with kitchen paper and serve alongside the lentils and rice.
Nutrition Facts
| Nutrition | Amount per Serving | % Daily Value* |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 330 kcal | 17% |
| Total Fat | 8 g | 10% |
| Saturated Fat | 1 g | 5% |
| Trans Fat | 0 g | |
| Cholesterol | 0 mg | 0% |
| Sodium | 210 mg | 9% |
| Total Carbohydrate | 54 g | 20% |
| Dietary Fiber | 11 g | 39% |
| Total Sugars | 6 g | |
| Protein | 12 g | 24% |
| Calcium | 40 mg | 3% |
| Iron | 2.8 mg | 16% |
Disclaimer: Nutrition estimates are for general guidance only, based on a 2,000‑calorie diet. Actual values vary with oil type, rice‑to‑lentil ratio, and onion caramelization.
Questions and advice about the mujadara
- Look, it’s just a matter of stewing lentils with rice, there’s not much mystery to it.
- As I said before, spicing is key, so don’t skimp on the spices, they do a great job.
- What is allspice? It’s absolutely delicious, with a complex flavor somewhere between cloves and cinnamon (that’s why it’s called allspice in English). In fact, when I don’t have it, I substitute a random mix of these two spices. It looks like little black peppercorns, but bigger. Nowadays, you can find it in large supermarkets.
- The onions should be crisp. No matter what the recipes say, if you let the dish sit for too long, the crispness will disappear. Consider yourself warned. And a big part of the dish’s appeal lies in the contrast of textures: the crispy onions with the softer lentils and rice. Be careful not to over‑fry them, as they can become bitter.
- “Why do you use brown rice?” “Because my nutritionists tell me it’s infinitely better to eat rice with the husk than without, especially for diabetics like me. The husk not only slows down the digestion of rice, making the spike in blood sugar more gradual, but it’s also fantastic for the proper functioning of our intestines. It’s true. Some people don’t like brown rice, and it’s certainly more difficult, but you get used to it.”
- Since mujadara can be eaten cold, it can be prepared in advance, perhaps leaving the frying of the onions until the last minute.
- Are these beluga lentils very different from the more common ones? They are firmer and the flavor is slightly different.