Mujadara

What Goes With It

• Thick yoghurt or labneh
• A sharp tomato and cucumber salad
• Pickled turnips

Sides from the same cuisine on this site: Flatbread, Pita Bread.

How to Make Mujadara

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1. Simmer the lentils in plenty of unsalted water for 15 to 18 minutes until just tender but still holding shape. Drain and reserve.

   Mark done Start 15 min timer

2. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a wide pan and add the onions with a good pinch of salt.

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3. Fry over medium heat for 30 to 35 minutes, stirring regularly. They will soften, then go golden, then deep brown. Keep going past the point where you would normally stop.

   Mark done Start 30 min timer

4. When they are dark mahogany and beginning to crisp, lift half out onto kitchen paper with a slotted spoon and salt them.

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5. To the onions left in the pan, add the cumin, coriander, allspice and cinnamon and stir for 45 seconds.

   Mark done Start 45 sec timer

6. Add the rice and toast it in the spiced oil for 3 minutes.

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7. Add the cooked lentils, the water and the salt. Bring to the boil, stir once, then cover and cook on the lowest heat for 18 minutes.

   Mark done Start 18 min timer

8. Take off the heat and leave, covered, for 10 minutes.

   Mark done Start 10 min timer

9. Fluff with a fork, pile onto a platter, and cover with the reserved crisp onions, parsley and plenty of black pepper. Serve with yoghurt (optional).

   Mark done

Related guides: Choosing rice · Ingredient substitutions.

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Notes From the Method

Take the onions further than feels comfortable. A few genuinely dark, almost-burnt pieces make the dish.

Cook the lentils separately first. Adding them raw gives you either hard lentils or overcooked rice.

It is as good at room temperature as it is hot, which makes it excellent picnic food.

Keeping What's Left

Refrigerate up to 4 days. Reheat covered with a splash of water. Fry fresh onions for the top if you can.

The Numbers per Serving

Per serving, an approximate calculation from the ingredient list. Treat it as a rough guide: where a line offers a choice of foods, only one of them is counted; an ingredient listed without an amount is not counted, so the figures run low; garnishes, greasing and other items with no amount are not counted. How the figures are worked out.

Vegan when served without the yoghurt. Dairy-free when served without the yoghurt.