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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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If I double the lentils in this dish, how much water should I use?
Hi Joyce – I’m guessing a bit with this answer…the bulk of the water is absorbed by the rice and assuming you are using the Lundberg’s short grain rice that we used, that’s approximately 1 cup of rice to about 1 1/2 cups water. So – that leaves 1/2 cup lentils to 1 cup water remaining. If you are doubling just the lentils but leaving the rice amount the same – I’d probably start with maybe an extra 1/2 cup of water and then check midway through the cooking time, adding up to another 1/2 cup as needed. The cooking time may vary with the extra lentils (depending on the size of your saucepan) so I’m just trying to avoid having the rice get mushy with extra water added. Hope that helps – please let us know how it works out!
Oh my goodness!! I’m so happy I stumbled across this recipe on Pinterest, it’s absolutely delicious!!! I was looking for something to do with the rice and lentils we had in our cupboard, what a success!
I cooked the rice in homemade chicken stock and added a bay leaf and some salt, pepper and garlic powder while the rice cooked. Used canned lentils, so threw them in the last 5 mins or so. WOW. Tasty! The onions make this recipe, so if you can, make more than what it calls for (I LOVE carmelized onions!!)
Thank you so much for such a great filling protein packed recipe! I’ll be making this (with water/veg broth) for all holiday dishes as a side for my vegan/veggie friends. ☺️
You’re welcome Annissa – agree that the caramelized onions are the best! 🙂
My family really enjoyed this recipe as a main dish. We added fresh squeezed lemon, salt and pepper for garnish and it really added flavor.
Sounds delicious – great additions!
Awesome recipe. Used red onions and added roasted eggplant. Thank you!
You’re welcome Lizzi – sounds delicious!
A friend of mine made this recently, and I had to give it a try myself. It was absolutely delicious and so flavorful! Wouldn’t change a thing!!
Thanks Sarah! We’re so glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Just made this and it seriously is 100% better then I thought it would be. I am hooked. Thanks for sharing.
You’re very welcome – so glad you liked the recipe Lisa! (Who knew such simple ingredients would be so delicious?!) 🙂
I made Mujadarra last week (a slightly different recipe) and it was delicious. I cooked the rice in chicken stock and used canned lentils drained and rinsed which I added near the end just to heat, so they retained their texture. I also used 1 tsp of cumin, a pinch of cinnamon, and some hot pepper flakes. I will definitely make it again but I think next time I will also add some raisins which I’m sure is not traditional, but I like sweet and savoury together.
Sounds delicious Laurie! I agree – some contrasting flavors go very nicely with the mujadarra (We enjoy serving it with our cucumber salad – the vinegary contrast of the salad contrasts well with the lentils and rice!)
Hehe I was just looking at this recipe and thinking I have some cucumbers to make salad alongside… Can’t wait for dinner tonight 😊
We hope you had a great dinner Carla! 🙂
This is recipe is so good, and you only need a few ingredients.
Thank you! 🙂
I’ve made this several times now and everyone loves it. It is now one of our mainstays.
Thanks Kelly! So glad you enjoyed the recipe!
I’ve tried this recipe a couple of times. The times I made it to the recipe, it was perfect. Superb. I never knew that rice and lentils cooked in salt and oil water would taste so damn good.
The second time I tried it…I was almost out of rice. So I reversed the ratios. What could go wrong? Well turns out literally everything because they ended up like dry sloppy garbage. So don’t futz with this recipe because it 👏 does 👏 not 👏 work.
Thanks for letting us know Katie! 🙂