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.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
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.
Mmm! So good! Tastes much like how my in laws make it (from Lebanon). I only sautéed the onions because otherwise it’d take way too long for my likings and used 2 cups of veg broth as the cube was to be dissolved in 2 c water.
I made a half batch in case I didn’t like it. I’ll definitely be making full batches and freezing extras!
I don’t know where you got your extremely low prices, but this dish would cost at minimum $10-$12… let’s be realistic here…
I think she’s divided up the cost of each product. My cost was likely even less than what she put!
$10-$12?? Where do you shop? It’s just rice, onions, and lentils basically. I mean, if you have to buy a brand new jar of each spice maybe, but it’s not like you use the whole jar for this one recipe.
I really wish this would have worked out for me. The food at the bottom burned and some of the rice and lentils were still hard. The seasoning was unfortunately bitter. Next time I will soak the rice and lentils and add salt and pepper, hopefully that’ll help.
Does this recipe have a lot of calories? I’m on a weightloss diet but I still really wanted to cook these…
This has become one of my absolute favorite dishes to make. I’ve started freezing batches of caramelized onions so that I can whip it up whenever! I love to eat it with pita bread and plain yogurt mixed with lemon juice–all three of those things in one bite is pure bliss.
If you can get your hands on Trader Joe’s “Spice Route” including a jar of Ras al Hanout (not exclusive to Trader Joe’s, but the price point is pretty compelling), I HIGHLY recommend substituting that blend for the spices! It’s apparently traditional for this dish and just does crazy wonderful things to it. It has all the same spices as this recipe, plus quite a few more!
We have a TJ opening here this year and I can NOT wait!! :)
Allspice? Doesn’t that have a strong clove taste? Hmmmm, I don’t know.
Can I do this in the crockpot or rice coker? I don’t want to stand over the stove for and hour and a half. What would crockpot/rice cooker times look like?
I hate lentils, and rice most of the time, but this recipe was amazing. I actually liked it, and not only that I would make it again. I added mushrooms and parsley and put in the rice cooker. The only thing I would do differently is make more carmelized onions.
I liked this dish but my husband wasn’t as into it. It took me almost 2 hours to carmelize the onions, next time I need carmelized onions I will try them in the crockpot thanks to a commenter here. This dish was really filling and mild enough for my toddler!
I went to LSU and Serop’s was one of my FAVORITE places to eat (along with Albasha) with a vegetarian friend of mine! The first time I ate the mujaddara, I fell in love with the velvety texture of the lentils. And the onions gave a nice crunch and seasoning! As I am embarking on my own vegan lifestyle, I cannot WAIT to make this recipe! I will post after it is made—thanks so much for sharing!!
This is the first recipe I’ve tried off your site that I didn’t like. I like the idea of lentils, rice, and caramelized onions, but I’m not a fan of the cumin/allspice/cloves blend.
I’m going to try this again, but I plan to use some of the taco seasoning I made up instead.
Tried this tonight for Christmas Eve dinner and it was delicious! This was my first time cooking and my first time eating lentils.
It took almost an hour to cook the lentils all the way and an extra cup and a half of liquid BUT not sure if that has to do with my stove, pot (cast iron) or what but it was all a great learning experience and all in all, delicious!
Between this and my vegan chili recipe, they are great, easy, large meals I can cook on the weekend and pack for lunches.
Thank you for sharing!
You can soak the lentils (or beans too) the night or a few hours before to soften them up. I would just cook them separately from the rice so you make sure nothing overcooks.
I haven’t tried your recipe yet, but I definitely will. i love this dish and have not tried to make it, but I’m wondering if some lemon juice at the end may not brighten up the flavor. The Lebanese place in Philly where I was first introduced to this dish seems to add it to a lot of things.
Will it make a difference if I use brown rice?
Unfortunately you won’t be able to make a clean swap in this recipe because brown rice requires more moisture and a longer cooking time. I’d have to experiment with it before giving direction on that.
Brown rice works, though it might be good to put it in before the lentils and you’d need to add a little more liquid (I played mine by ear and added more on a “that looks right” basis). You might also want to add a little more by way of the seasonings as well (or add more onions, or both), because brown rice does have a slightly stronger taste.
Could you use green lentils?
You might have to cook them separately because they take much longer to cook than brown lentils.