I discovered Mujaddara probably about ten years ago at this little Lebanese lunch spot in Baton Rouge, called Serop’s Express. I didn’t know what the brown mixture was, but I ordered on a whim and I was instantly in love. The soft grain-like mixture was earthy, flavorful, and had an intoxicating blend of seasoning. I immediately googled the recipe, determined to make it myself.
(I added chopped cilantro for garnish and to add color to the photo. Cilantro is not needed for the recipe.)
What is Mujaddara?
Mujaddara is a simple, filling, and flavorful Arabic dish made with rice, lentils, and caramelized onions. There are many ways to make it, with each region and family having their own spin, but the common thread among them all is rice, lentils, and caramelized onions. However it’s made, though, it’s usually extremely delicious, filling, and very inexpensive. So, in other words, it’s definitely a budget byte!
My Interpretation
Despite trying several times over the past ten years, I’ve never been able to replicate Serop’s magic recipe. I’ve even had friends question members of the restaurant’s family about what’s in the dish, only to get the answer “rice and lentils”. *sigh* I’ve had mujaddara at other Lebanese restaurants, but none of them compare to what Serop’s serves up. I don’t know what kind of magic they put in there, but it’s way more delicious and intoxicating than just rice and lentils.
The version I finally settled on is as close to Serop’s as I can get. It has plenty of caramelized onions to give it a deep, rich flavor, vegetable broth to make the flavor a little more complex, and a healthy dose of aromatic spices to keep things interesting. This recipe makes a big batch of about 6 cups, but this recipe will freeze very well, so any leftovers can be saved for later.
What to Serve with Mujaddara
I’ve been eating mine plain in a bowl, but it goes great with sautéed greens, roasted vegetables, or even topped with a fried egg. It’s kind of one of those all-purpose dishes that can be eaten at almost every meal. No wonder it’s been around so long!
Try the Authentic Version
As you can see, I’ve played around with the basic mujaddara concept quite a bit here, so you may want to try an authentic recipe first. Plus, you’ll probably get to learn a lot about this dish’s rich culture and history while you’re at it. Here are some great authentic mujaddara recipes to try:
- Lebanese Mujadara from Feel Good Foodie
- Mujadara from The Mediterranean Dish
- Mujadara from Cardamom and Tea
Mujaddara
Servings 6 (1 cup each)Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp olive oil ($0.32)
- 4 yellow onions ($1.59)
- 1 tsp cumin ($0.10)
- 1 tsp allspice ($0.10)
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves ($0.03)
- 2.5 cups vegetable broth ($0.30)
- 1 cup long grain white rice (or jasmine) ($0.33)
- 1 cup brown lentils ($0.68)
Instructions
- Thinly slice the onions and add them to a large pot with the olive oil. Cook over low heat, stirring frequently for one hour, or until they are deeply golden brown, sticky, and caramelized. Remove half of the onions and set them aside to top the pilaf after cooking
- Add the cumin, allspice, and cloves to the pot with the remaining onions. Sauté for about one minute to lightly toast the spices. Add the vegetable broth and stir the pot well to dissolve any browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pot.
- Add the rice and lentils to the pot. Cover the pot with a lid and turn the heat up to high. Allow the contents to come up to a boil. As soon as it reaches a full boil, turn the heat down to low and let it simmer for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, turn the heat off and let it rest for 10 minutes without removing the lid. Finally, remove the lid, fluff with a spoon or fork, then top with the reserved caramelized onions. Serve warm.
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Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!How to Make Mujaddara – Step by Step Photos
This recipe starts with caramelized onions, which lend a lot of flavor to the final pilaf. They take a long time to make, but are well worth it. Begin by thinly slicing four yellow onions and adding them to a large pot with 2 Tbsp olive oil. Cook the onions over low heat, stirring frequently for one hour. You can stir less frequently at first, but will need to keep a closer eye towards the end. I did chores around the house during the first part, remembering to walk back into the kitchen every few minutes to stir.
After an hour or so, they should be deep golden brown, sticky, and caramelized. If you don’t like the stringy texture of caramelized onions, you can dice them instead. They will probably cook a little faster when diced and will blend into the pilaf a little better.
Remove half of the onions and set them aside to top the pilaf later. Add 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp allspice, and 1/4 tsp ground cloves to the pot. Sauté the spices with the remaining onions for about a minute. This toasts the spices slightly, which enhances their flavor.
Add 2.5 cups of vegetable broth to the pot and stir to dissolve any browned bits off the bottom. All that browned onion sugar will help give a lot of flavor to the Mujaddara.
Add one cup of long-grain white rice and one cup of brown lentils to the pot. I used jasmine rice because it’s my favorite, but you can use plain white rice if desired. You’ll want to use brown lentils and not French or “green” lentils because those take twice as long to cook as brown lentils. If unsure, check the packaging to see the recommended cooking time. It should be 20-30 minutes.
Add the rice and lentils to the pot, place a lid on top, then turn the heat up to high. Let the pot come to a full boil. Once it reaches a boil, turn it down to low heat and let it simmer for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, turn the heat off and let it rest with the lid in place for 10 more minutes. After the ten-minute rest, you’ll have this (see photo above).
Fluff it up with a spoon or fork (looks more appetizing now, for sure). The rice and lentils should have absorbed all the broth and be soft and tender all the way through.
Top the Mujaddara with the reserved caramelized onions and serve! YUM.
I’d love to make this and have all the ingredients, but its not Monday (meatless monday in my house) and my husband just aaaabsolutely needs meat to go with it! Any suggestions for a pork chop recipe that would pair nicely with the Mujaddara as a side dish?
I’ve been thinking that Tandoori Chicken would go good with it.
I tried these two together. It was the tastiest set of meals I’ve had in a while. Perfect level of spice (though I added more in each recipe) mixed with some yogurt. Nutritious. Filling. Amazing.
I have nothing other than gushing to add.
you gotta eat it with yougert, really it makes it MUCH better.
When studying in israel I would get these super processed mujadara cups that you just add hot water too. It was easy and I was desperate.
HELP!! I made this just now, and my lentils are still totally hard!! The rice is perfectly done! I don’t even know what to do now, I followed the recipe exactly. I used dry lentils, not cooked right??? Mine are still raw, and gross!!!
By the way, I just wanted to add that I did use BROWN lentils.
Hmm, they must be a different kind of brown lentil? That’s the only thing I can think of because mine were also dry. You can try to add a little more water and keep simmering although your rice may break down a bit more. It’s worth a shot, though.
Just regular brown lentils. Package says simmer 15-20 minutes. I tried adding liquid and continuing to heat on low but it’s not helping, the rice is sticking to the bottom, and getting mushy on the bottom, and the lentils are not cooking. Maybe this recipe doesn’t work at high altitude, or my lentils are OLD, though I buy them at Walmart regularly so I wouldn’t think so. Huge bummer!!
Age is definitely a contributing factor in legume cooking time. In addition, combining acid, sugar, and calcium will make them take significantly longer to cook. Seeing as the sugar from the onions is necessary for the recipe, you might try adding a pinch of baking soda to up the pH or using filtered water if you’re using a hard water.
Sorry it didn’t work out for you! :( And if it’s any consolation at all (probably not), the mujaddarah from the restaurant that I like so much is so broken down that I couldn’t even tell that it was rice and lentils. :) Just a brown crumbly mixture!
This sounds right up my alley. I’ll also be trying the brown-rice version mentioned in the comments above; I almost never keep white rice in the house.
Speaking of which, I’m also fairly certain I don’t have any cloves. Any idea what might make a good substitute?
You can use some cinnamon instead. I’d use a little more, though, like 1/2 tsp.
I’m so bummed. I totally failed at this. I cooked the onions for 2.5 hours and they still weren’t right. Then went to cook the rice & beans and they took forever, too! I’ve made a ton of your meals and absolutely love your website! I’m going to try this again after I get a new stove. :-|
I made this tonight and it was delicious! Because I had basmati rice and green lentils, I cooked the lentils separately. Definitely on the make-again list!
Could you use chicken broth instead of vegetable?
Yes, you could. :)
This is probably one of the only recipes out there that are vegan, dirt cheap and easy – all at the same time. My boyfriend and I make it all the time when we want to add some substance to a main dish and not spend too much on sides. Thank you for posting! :)
I made this last night. I was delicious! I added a touch of cayenne because I can’t seem to cook anything without it, and the bit of heat worked really well. The onions took 1:40 minutes to caramelize. I think I had the heat a little too low.
Definitely 2.5 cups of broth? That’s only a half cup more liquid than I would use for the one cup of rice. Just want to be sure so I don’t mess it up. Looks delicious! Step by step photos rule.
You can up it a bit to 2.75 just to be sure if you’re a bit uneasy. That will just make the rice and lentils a tad bit softer, but not terribly so. I usually do 1.5 cups of water per cup of white rice, but used to do 2 cups water per cup of rice. There is a little wiggle room there. :)
You were right. I followed the recipe with 2.5 cups and it came out great. A little bit of texture worked well to keep it from being mushy. This is delicious. I served it with some roast pork tenderloin.
America’s Test Kitchen has a version of mujaddara in one the current season’s episodes (the episode title is “Broiled Pork Tenderloin”) which is out of this world. They deep-fry the onions for crispy texture to contrast the softer rice and lentils. OM NOM NOM!
Beth, I eat at Serop’s Express in Baton Rouge at least twice a week, but I have never tried their Mujaddara. I’ll give it a try tomorrow. Thanks for this recipe. I don’t suppose you have perfected recipe for Moussaka, my primary addiction?
YES, get the mujaddara as soon as possible! :) So, the moussaka was one of my other favorites from Serops and when I googled that one all the recipes were completely different than what they serve… So, I have no idea how to even start to make what they have! :P I wish they’d open a restaurant in New Orleans!
Yum! I love mujhadara. It tastes so good and is so cheap to make! I usually cook all three elements separately but I will definitely need to try this one pot method next time I make it (which will be soon as I’ve been craving it). I usually add a bunch of different spices to the onions including cayenne pepper, paprika, and cinnamon. I love to eat it topped with plain greek yogurt and walnuts and raisins for breakfast!
I want this in my belly right now. Oh my! Looks like dinner sometime this week will be mujaddara.
I can’t wait to try this! And so happy to see a mention of Serop’s. I lived in BR for years and there was a Serop’s Express around the corner from where I worked. I probably ate there at least once a week for the 4 years before I came back north. Now I’m so hungry for their chicken schwarma salad, or a falafal gyro. :)