Calling all home cooks! This easy-to-follow pilaf recipe for Lebanese Mujadara combines perfectly cooked lentils and rice with caramelized onions for an authentic taste of the Middle East in every bite. Best served with Tabbouleh salad and Greek yogurt.
Jump to:
Mujadara is a popular Arabic dish with lentils and rice, loved in many middle eastern and Mediterranean countries such as Lebanon, Cyprus, Syria, Egypt, Jordan, Israel. In each country it may have a sligthly different preparation or name (mejadra, moujedra, mudardara) but the main ingredients remain the same: lentils, rice and onions.
Traditionally, in the authentic mujadara recipe, the lentils and the rice are cooked together in the same pot, but this can result in a mushy dish, especially if you don't have much experience cooking this food. This is the reason why this recipe has a slightly different but easy to follow step-by-step intructions, so you can get perfect results every time.
If you love Middle Eastern cuisine, you should also check this smoky Baba Ganoush (Lebanese eggplant dip), this recipe with all the secrets for the perfect Falafel (fried chickpea balls), and this thick and creamy homemade Labneh (fresh yogurt cheese) which is made from Greek yogurt.
😍 Why I love this recipe
These are some of the reasons why I love this lentil rice with onions recipe:
✓ Easy: You'll just need one pot to make it, plus the steps are very easy to follow.
✓ Simple: All you need is a few simple ingredients. Also, par-cooking the lentils eliminates any uncertainty about whether all the ingredients are cooked perfectly.
✓ Flavor: The deeply caramelized onions lend this dish a warm and complex taste you'll love.
✓ Diet friendly: Lebanese lentils and rice is a dish naturally vegan and gluten-free.
📋 Ingredients
To make the authentic Lebanese Mujadara recipe you'll need the following simple ingredients:
Lentils: they should be the small-sized brown or green lentils. These lentils can hold their shape very well and don't become mushy as easy as other types of lentils.
Rice: Use a long-grain type of rice such as white Basmati rice or even Uncle Ben's. You can also use brown rice, as long as it requires the same cooking time (12-15 minutes). Short grain rice (for risotto) and wild rice are not reccomended for this lentil pilaf.
Onions: Red or yellow onions are both fine for this recipe.
Oil: I prefer using extra virgin olive oil, but you can also use another type of vegetable oil.
🥣 Variations
These are some variations of this delicious Lebanese lentils and rice:
Bulgur or Quinoa: Mujadara hamra is a similar dish of Lebanese cuisine made with coarse bulgur (cracked wheat) instead of rice. The bulgur to water ratio for al dente bulgur is 1 ½ cups of water per cup of bulgur and for a softer result increase to 1 ¾ cups of water.
If you want to use quinoa the basic ratio is 1 cup quinoa to 2 cups liquid. Serve this variation with lemon tahini dressing from this healthy brown rice salad recipe.
Dried fruit and nuts: This festive variation is inspired by my favorite, fragrant Moroccan rice (pilaf) recipe. To make it, add ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon along with the cumin and at the end of cooking add half a cup of chopped dried druit (such as rasins, dates or prunes) and half a cup of chopped toasted nuts (such as almonds, pecans, hazelnuts, pistachios or pine nuts).
With crispy onions: You can add a step and make crispy onions to serve on top of the rice with lentils. For the onions to become really crispy, you'll have to fry them: First, slice them or cut them in thin rings and fry them in plenty of oil until deep golden brown in color. Remove the fried onions with a slotted spatula and place them on a pepper towel to absorb any excess oil.
🔪 Instructions
Follow this easy step-by-step guide to make the perfect Lebanese rice with lentils (Mujadara) every time:
Step 1: Transfer the lentils with plenty of water to a large pot and bring to a boil. Once they start to boil, cook for 15 minutes, then drain and set aside (no need to clean the pot at this stage, just let it drain).
Step 2: Transfer the rice to a sieve and place it inside a large bowl filled with water. Stir it well to remove most of the starch and drain. You can also rinse it under running water.
Step 3: Chop the onions and transfer them with the olive oil to the pot. Saute over medium heat, stirring very often, until they're deep brown in color and caramelized. Once done, transfer some of the onion mixture to a small bowl and reserve for serving.
- You can thinly slice the onions or chop them in small cubes. Choose the style you prefer.
- Caramelizing the onions should take about 35-45 minutes. You can go from light brown to deep, dark brown with charred edges. This article for how to caramelize onions by Simply Recipes provides more information.
Step 4: Add the water to the caramelized onions, deglaze by scraping the bottom of the pan very well, and bring to a boil. Then, add the par-cooked lentils, the spices and the rice. Stir, reduce the heat to a gentle simmer, cover with a lid and cook until all of the water is absorbed by the rice.
Step 5: Take the pot off the heat and gently fluff the rice with a fork. Remove the bay leaf and the garlic and discard them. Cover again with the lid and the Mujadara rest for 5 minutes.
Top each plate with the reserved caramelized onions and serve with a couple of tablespoons of Greek yogurt (or vegan yogurt for a dairy-free option).
👉 Caramelizing plenty of onions in the pot and reserving some of them for topping the finished dish later, eliminates the need to use a separate saucepan.
👨🍳 Expert Tips
✤ Most of the recipes call for one part rice and one part lentils. If you want to serve Mujadara for dinner then this ratio is ideal. However, when I want to serve it as a side, I prefer to use 2 parts rice to 1 part lentils. You can experiment and decide your favorite ratio.
✤ Caramelizing the onions takes time. The 20 minutes time frame which is given by many recipes is just too short. You should be expecting 30-35 minutes at least. On this note, time will depend on the quantity of the onions, the size of the pot and how thin you sliced them.
✤ Don't caramelize the onions over high heat, because they'll certainly burn. I accidentally increased the temperature on my induction stove (I only use it for videos) and I almost burned them, but luckily they turned out good. If you notice that they're burning, take the pot off the heat immediately and add a splash of water to lower the temperature. After that, continue as normal until dark brown.
💭 FAQs
It depends. Rinsing rice may remove any remaining dirt or other impurities, but in risotto recipes will remove the starch which is needed for the risotto to be creamy.
On the other hand, in pilaf recipes and other recipes where we want the rice to be fluffy, rinsing before cooking will help to remove the excess starch and make the cooked rice more fluffy and less sticky.
If you have any leftovers, transfer them to an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 3 days.
🍳 Food pairing:
Are you wondering what can you serve this Lebanese rice recipe with?
Mujadara practically begs for refreshing side dishes or for something tangy that will offer balance. A simple tomato cucumber salad is a dish prefered by many people, but if you want something more filling you should definitely pair it with a traditional Greek salad (Horiatiki).
During winter you can serve it with homemade pita bread and a sweet and sour Greek cabbage salad (Lahanosalata). If you crave something creamy, then this creamy cucumber salad (yogurt + miso dressing) is also ideal!
Similar recipes:
If you tried this Lentils and Rice recipe (Mujadara) or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. I love hearing from you!
🎥Recipe Video
📖 Recipe
Lebanese Mujadara (Lentils and Rice Recipe)
Ingredients
- 1 cup (200 g) brown lentils (picked over for debris and rinsed)
- 1 cup (195 g) long grain rice (such as Basmati rice)
- 4 cups (560 g) onions (sliced or chopped 560 g (approximately 6 onions))
- 4 tablespoons (56 g) extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- 2 cups (480 g) water
- 1 bay leaf (optional)
- 1 garlic clove (optional) (score a cross in the middle with a knife to release its flavor)
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Rinse the lentils under running water, transfer them to a pot with plenty of water and bring to a boil. Once they start to boil, cook for 15-17 minutes, then drain and set aside (no need to clean the pot at this stage, just let it drain).
- Meanwhile, transfer the rice to a sieve and place it inside a large bowl filled with water. Stir it well to remove most of the starch, then drain (you can also rinse it under running water).
- Chop or slice the onions and transfer them with the olive oil and the salt to the pot. Saute over medium heat, stirring very often, until they're deep brown in color and caramelized. Once done, transfer some of the onion mixture to a small bowl and reserve for serving.
- Add the water to the caramelized onions, deglaze by scraping the bottom of the pan very well, and bring to a boil. Then, add the par-cooked lentils, the bay leaf, the garlic clove, the cumin, the black pepper and the rice. Stir, reduce the heat to a gentle simmer, cover with a lid and cook for 13 minutes or until all of the water is absorbed by the rice.
- Take the pot off the heat and gently fluff the rice with a fork. Remove the bay leaf and the garlic and discard them. Cover again with the lid and the rice and lentil pilaf rest for 5 minutes.Top each plate with the reserved caramelized onions and serve with a couple of tablespoons of Greek yogurt (or vegan yogurt for a dairy-free option).
Notes
- You can thinly slice the onions or chop them in small cubes. Choose the style you prefer.
- Onions need medium to low heat to caramelize, otherwise they may burn. The whole process should take about 35-45 minutes. You can go from light brown to deep, dark brown with charred edges. If you notice that they're burning, take the pot off the heat immediately and add a splash of water to lower the temperature. After that, continue as normal.
- Crispy onions: You can make crispy onions to serve on top of the dish. For the onions to become really crispy, you'll have to fry them. Slice them or cut them in thin rings and fry them in plenty of oil until they're deep golden brown in color. Remove the fried onions with a slotted spatula and place them on a pepper towel to absorb any excess oil.
- A few chopped raisins (or dates) and chopped pistachios (or almonds) with a pinch of cinnamon added at the end of cooking is a very tasty addition to this pilaf.
- This recipe serves 4 as a main course and about 8 as a side.
- In this recipe I've used Basmati rice which says that it's ready in 13-14 minutes. Generally, this type of rice has a ratio 1 cup of rice to 1 ½ cups of liquid, but in this recipe more liquid is needed because you first cook the onions with the water (so some evaporation occurs) and you also have the par-cooked lentils which will absorb some additional liquid. Generally, most types of rice with 12-15 minutes cooking time will work well with this recipe.
- If you choose a rice with longer cooking time you may have to increase the water (about ¼ cup of extra water per cup of rice).
- On the other hand, if you double this recipe, you may need less water (mostly because the evaporating water is proportionally less). In this case I suggest starting with 1 ¾ cups water per 1 cup of rice and adding the rest of the water, if needed, during the end.
Tim says
The Lebanese lentil pilaf recipe was modified on 28 Nov 2023. How can I get a copy of the previous recipe? I enjoy it very much and did not print it out not expecting the link to get modified with a newer recipe.
Makos says
Hi Tim, I can send you the original recipe on this mail you're using to comment