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Don’t be fooled by the simple ingredients in this Mujadarra. This classic dish is absolutely delicious!
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
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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Kelly Mendoza says
I’ve made this several times now and everyone loves it. It is now one of our mainstays.
Martha says
Thanks Kelly! So glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Katie says
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.
Martha says
Thanks for letting us know Katie! 🙂
Ashley says
What are the nutrition facts for this recipe.? Thank you
Martha says
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.
Richiej says
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!
Martha says
Thanks Richie! So glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Carolyn Holliday says
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
Martha says
Thanks Carolyn! So glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Eve says
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!
Martha says
Thank you for sharing your feedback Eve! We’re glad you enjoyed the recipe!
DrLeonesse says
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.
Martha says
I agree! 🙂 This dish is great hot or cold! (I love the leftovers served with our cucumber salad too!) 🙂
Maria Rangel says
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?
Martha says
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!
Ann says
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 !
Martha says
Sounds delicious Ann! Thank you for the suggestion!
Sara P says
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!
Martha says
You’re very welcome Sara! So glad you enjoyed the recipe!