Mujadara
Lentils and rice crowned with a heap of crisp caramelized onions
- Serves
- 4
- Hands-on
- Total
- Level
- Easy
Mujadara is a humble dish of lentils and rice that becomes something special thanks to a mountain of onions fried until deep brown and crisp. Some of the onions and their oil go into the pot to flavor the rice; the crispiest are saved for the top.
Ingredients
- 150 mlolive oil (⅔ cup)
- 4onionslarge, about 900 g (2 lb), halved and thinly sliced
- 10 gfine sea salt (1¾ tsp)divided
- 200 gbrown or green lentils (1 cup)rinsed
- 200 glong-grain or basmati rice (1 cup)rinsed
- 1½ tspground cumin
- 1 tspground coriander
- ½ tspground cinnamon
- ½ tspblack pepper
- 400 mlwater (1⅔ cups)for the rice
To serve
- plain yogurt or Tzatziki, chopped parsley, lemon wedges
- Diet
- Vegetarian, Gluten-free
- Allergens
- milk
- Origin
- Levant
Method
- Put the lentils in a pan with plenty of water. Boil until just tender but still holding their shape, 15–20 minutes. Drain.
- Meanwhile heat the oil in a large, wide pan over medium-high heat. Add the onions with a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring often, until they collapse and turn deep mahogany-brown, 30–35 minutes; lower the heat as they darken. The last batch should be crisp.
- Lift about two-thirds of the onions out with a slotted spoon onto paper towel and spread out; they crisp as they cool. Leave the rest and about 3 tbsp oil in the pan.
- Add the cumin, coriander, cinnamon and pepper to the pan and stir 30 seconds. Add the rice and stir to coat. Add the drained lentils, the 400 ml water and the remaining salt.
- Bring to a boil, then cover tightly and cook on the lowest heat until the rice is tender and the water absorbed, 15 minutes. Rest, covered, 10 minutes.
- Fluff with a fork and pile onto a platter. Top with the crisp onions and serve with yogurt, parsley and lemon.
Why it works
Slow frying drives the water out of the onions and caramelizes their sugars; only once dry can they crisp. Cooking the rice in some of the onion oil seasons every grain with that sweet, toasty flavor. Par-cooking the lentils lets them finish at the same time as the rice.
Common mistakes
- Impatience with the onions: pale, soft onions give none of the dish's character.
- Overcooking the lentils at the start: they should still be firm when they join the rice.
Variations
- With bulgur
- Use coarse bulgur instead of rice and simmer 12 minutes (adds gluten).
Make ahead and storage
Keeps 4 days in the fridge; re-crisp the onions in a dry pan. Good at room temperature.
Notes
Serve with a non-dairy yogurt for a vegan meal.
