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
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’m Lebanese and this is totally different than any Mujaddara recipes that my family or community has ever made. Mujaddara is usually a soup, or at least stew texture not dry like this. Nice try but no cigar.
Rhukaya, is there another recipe you could recommend? I’m interested in trying this dish but I’ve never had it so it’s hard to find a recipe that looks good. Thanks!
I make no claims to being Lebanese, however I did attend a church that was predominantly composed of families with Syrian and/or Lebanese heritage for 5 or so years. Every family that ever brought Mujuddara in for church dinners was more like this, not a soup or stew, no liquid was left in the dish. Their versions typically though didn’t just have caramelized onions on top, rather almost blackened and crispy onions, though just how blackened and crispy was dependent on exactly which family made it. And for some of the people those blackened onions, with their almost burnt flavor, was the very best part. Not sure how they made theirs though, I moved away from the area a few years back.
I’m also Lebanese, and Mujaddara is similar to this in texture, but I’m seeing a couple of missing spices. My family also adds cinnamon and ground caraway.
Finally got around to making this after years of eyeing it up, and I’m so glad I did! A perfect adventure for a weekend afternoon.
I made this today and it was fantastic! I left out the allspice because I didn’t have any. And I used green lentils that I soaked in hot water while the onions were caramelizing, which was a recommendation from someone else’s review. Super easy recipe! The rice and lentils were soft but not mushy. The very bottom burned a bit (I had it on the 2nd stovetop level instead of simmer) but I don’t mind. It was basically just a little crunchy rice mixed in. It’s definitely lighter on flavor, so I recommend putting in an extra bouillon cube or adding some salt at the end. This recipe tastes just like the mujaddara at my favorite Mediterranean restaurant. Thanks for the 10/10 recipe
I made this in a crockpot last week. It took a lot longer using the crockpot, but it worked and tasted great in the end. I put the onions in first (all of them) with the oil and cooked them on high until they were golden. I added the rest of the ingredients and left the crockpot on high for a couple of hours and then turned it down to low and let it cool overnight. I
This was excellent! So flavorful, simple, and cheap to make.
I made this today and it is amazing! Having never made it before I was ambitious and went ahead and doubled the recipe. Followed recipe exact aside from adding two tsp of salt. I also used the super small brown lentils and soaked them for about an hour before cooking with the rice. For the rice I used white basmati. Thank you for this delicious dish that both my children will eat. Also love that it’s vegan😊
Wow—this was absolutely delicious!!! It turned out perfectly even though I had green lentils instead of brown. I just soaked them in hot water while the onions were caramelizing. This is such a cozy, comforting meal I can see myself making all winter long. So inexpensive and full of nutrients, too. I added 1/4 tsp cayenne powder but otherwise followed the recipe to the letter. Perfection!!! Thank you!
Isnt cooking the rice for 30 mins too long?
If it were by itself it would probably be too long. It cooks a little differently when it’s with all the other ingredients. That being said, some people have had great results with this recipe, some have not been satisfied with how the rice turned out.
I made this with brown jasmine rice because I didn’t have white rice. The cooking time had to be extended but it was tasty.. thanks.
I cooked this dish today and it was DELICIOUS! Thank you for sharing this. I altered the recipe because I am cooking only for myself, and it came out perfectly.
I ate it with a sautéed kale and had a satisfying, full meal!
I made this today and it was delicious.
so this may be a really stupid question, but is there anything I can substitute for the onions? or is that just not possible with this dish? it looks yummy, but I’m allergic to onions.
While you can definitely make this without the caramelized onions, I would say that they are the highlight of the dish. I’m not sure there is anything that you could use in their place that is similar.
Try caramelised grated carrot instead – have not tried it, but i think it could work well, and add some extra vedges to the dish
I wonder if leeks would work well to replace the onions. Or if leeks are too closely related to onions, would you be allergic to those too? Thinly sliced cabbage would be a different taste, but sounds good.
You could also try caramelizing finely sliced fennel bulbs. They are so delicious.
Absolutely delicious! Although it does take time, it is actually very simple to make. This dish has such a unique flavor and I love how cheap it is.
What would go well with this dish?
This was delicious! I used my Instant Pot. We are it for a couple days. My daughter requested a bigger amount this week for easy lunch. Home run, Beth!
When you say you made it in your Instant Pot, can you tell me more? I also was thinking about making it in my IP, but wasn’t sure about timing. Did you still cook the onions for an hour on the saute function? And how long did you cook the rice/lentils for? Thank you for any info you have!
I would love more details on how you converted this for your IP. I’m a new IP owner and have loved Mujadarra for years!
So you think this could be made in the Instant Pot?
I think someone else mentioned that they did it in an IP, but I don’t know what setting would be best.
Smear on opened PITA with Lebanese salad. Roll it up. Mujaddara sandwich…yum.