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Mujadarra has seasoned caramelized onions served over brown rice and lentils. So simple but so good!
I’m always thrilled to discover easy recipes made with ingredients that we always have on hand in our kitchen – and once combined – it tastes absolutely delicious! Such is the case with today’s recipe called Mujadarra.
What is Mujadarra?
Mujadarra is a classic dish made from lentils and brown rice that have been smothered in caramelized, seasoned onions. It’s a staple in Middle-Eastern diets and there are now many new variations of this dish with different lentils, grains and seasonings – but today’s recipe closely follows the more traditional version.
According to Wikipedia, the word mujadarra is the Arabic word for “pockmarked” – with the thought that the name of the dish is inspired by the lentils among the rice resembling pockmarks.
But don’t be fooled by the simple ingredients in this recipe! The flavors are rich and comforting and mujadarra is a wonderful side dish to just about any meal. (It’s also hearty enough to serve as a meatless meal if you’d like!)
Adapted from My Jewish Learning.
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Mujadarra
Mujadarra has seasoned caramelized onions served over brown rice and lentils. So simple but so good!
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups water
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 1/2 cup brown lentils, sorted and rinsed
- 1 cup short grain brown rice (we recommend Lundberg brand)
- 2 large Vidalia or white onions, cut in half, then sliced into thin rings (approximately 4 cups)
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
Instructions
- In a medium-sized saucepan with cover, combine water, salt, and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Add the brown rice and lentils to the saucepan and bring back to a boil.
- Once the lentils and rice have reached a boil, reduce heat to low and cover. Simmer for approximately 40-45 minutes or until the brown rice and lentils are tender. Turn off heat and allow to sit covered for 5 minutes.
- While the rice and lentils are cooking, prepare the onions. In a large skillet, heat the remaining ¼ cup of olive oil over medium high heat, tipping the skillet so that the oil evenly coats the bottom of the pan.
- Add the sliced onions, and cook for about 20-30 minutes, stirring frequently until the onions are a deep golden color, and the edges of the onions are well caramelized. Once cooked, remove from the heat and sprinkle the paprika over the onions. Stir to combine.
- Give the rice and lentil mixture a stir, then pour into a serving bowl. Top with caramelized onions and serve. (This dish is delicious served hot off the stove or at room temperature.)
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What are the nutrition facts for this recipe.? Thank you
Hi Ashley – We aren’t nutritionists so we don’t calculate nutritional values for our recipes – but there are a number of free online calculators you could try if you need that information.
Followed this to the T and it came out great. Just started eating vegetarian and this recipe is a keeper. Very tasty without being overpowering so I feel I can make a batch and eat some almost every day. Easy and inexpensive to make. Winner!
Thanks Richie! So glad you enjoyed the recipe!
I made this and it was delicious, I had never heard of it before but looking at the ingredients is what really caught my interest. I’m vegan and I’m all ways looking for different ways to cook vegan meals and this one OMG sooo good
Thanks Carolyn! So glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Very delicious, although being a carnivore.. I do wish that there was some meat in the dish to bring it up to the 5 star rating. The one real complaint I have though, is that 2 and a half cups of water was not enough to cook the rice and lentils for me.. this may be due to my high altitude, but for other high altitude readers, I found on my 2nd time cooking this recipe that 3 and a half cups of water works well. Thanks for the delicious recipe!
Thank you for sharing your feedback Eve! We’re glad you enjoyed the recipe!
I discovered Mujadarra at a potluck forty years ago. Your classic version reminds me how much I love it. “Pease porridge hot, pease porridge cold, pease porridge in the pot nine days old.” Yes! Hot. Yes! Cold…any which way until the pot is empty.
I agree! 🙂 This dish is great hot or cold! (I love the leftovers served with our cucumber salad too!) 🙂
I made this today and though the flavor was great my lentils were still hard. I added the amount of liquid that the recipe called for, what went wrong. Did the lentils needed to be soaked before?
Hi Maria – No – we don’t soak our lentils before cooking. I’ve read a few possible explanations: http://www.thekitchn.com/why-are-my-lentils-always-hard-good-questions-215044 – also I’ve heard that hard water can impact the cooking time of lentils and other legumes and a possible solution is to add some baking soda to the cooking water. I’m sorry you were disappointed in the results! Hope this helps!
I made it many times but I recommend cumin , black pepper , allspice , coriander in the pot while boiling the lentils ! I serve it with salad with a meditaranian dressings ( home made ) but the salad should be cut in small pieces . I usually use cucumber , tomatoes , fresh parsley chopped & fresh mint ( optional) !
For my dressing , I use olive oil , fresh squeezed lemon , salt , pepper !
Sounds delicious Ann! Thank you for the suggestion!
I’m a hungry girl cooking for one, so I cut the amount of onions and oil in half but kept everything else the same, and it made 3 superbly filling portions.
THIS IS SO GOOD. Thank you for a great recipe!
You’re very welcome Sara! So glad you enjoyed the recipe!
I don’t have a white onion can I sub yellow
Sure – no problem!
This sounds like a treat! I will be making it soon, but I wanted to thank you for your presentation – a couple of pix to drool over, and then it’s on to the recipe! Thanks much
You’re very welcome Mary – hope you enjoy the recipe!