Mujaddara
Lentils and rice cooked together with cumin and topped with deeply browned onions.
Photograph credit: Mujaddara (image of mujadara on Wikidata Q2663815) by Bazel · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons · this resized copy is shared under the same licence
Before You Start
Cook the onions slowly.
Stir often.
If your hob runs hot, keep the heat low.
Rest before serving.
Making Mujaddara
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Fry the onions in the oil over medium heat for 20 minutes, stirring often, until dark brown and crisp at the edges.
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Meanwhile simmer the lentils with the cumin in the water for 15 minutes.
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Add the rice and salt, cover and cook on low heat for 15 minutes until both are tender and the water is absorbed.
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Stir half the onions through the lentils and rice, rest for 5 minutes and top with the rest.
Why It Works
Lentils, rice, onions, cumin: four ingredients that you probably already own, and a dish that many cooks regard as the best thing they can make from a bag of pulses.
The onions are what make it. Slice three large onions thinly and fry them in the oil over medium heat for about 20 minutes, until they are dark brown and crisp at the edges. Do not rush them. High heat burns the outsides and leaves the insides raw, and the bitter taste spoils the dish.
While they cook, simmer the lentils in the water with the cumin for 15 minutes, until they are half cooked. Add the rice and salt, cover, and cook for 15 minutes more, until both are tender and the water has been absorbed.
Take out half the onions for the top and stir the rest through the lentils and rice. Cover and rest for 5 minutes, then pile onto a plate and scatter with the reserved onions. Serve with yoghurt and a simple salad. If your hob runs hot, keep the heat low during the rice stage.
Leftovers, Reheating and Keeping
Keeps in the fridge for 4 days.
Good With
- Natural yoghurt
- Cucumber salad
- Pickled turnips
- Flatbread
Mujaddara Nutrition Facts
Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list with USDA FoodData Central figures (SR Legacy). A calculation, not a laboratory analysis: brands, cuts and how you measure change the real numbers. How the figures are worked out.
Your notes on this recipe
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Compiled by Turab
Checked by script for timings, diet labels and nutrition arithmetic. How the recipes are checked.
First published ; last changed .
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