Lebanese Mujadara (Lentils and Rice Recipe)
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.
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 530kcal
Ingredients
- 1 cup brown lentils picked over for debris and rinsed
- 1 cup long grain rice such as Basmati rice
- 4 cups onions sliced or chopped 560 g (approximately 6 onions)
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 2 cups 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).
Video
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.
Nutrition
Calories: 530kcal | Carbohydrates: 81g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Sodium: 600mg | Potassium: 761mg | Fiber: 18g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 30IU | Vitamin C: 14mg | Calcium: 88mg | Iron: 5mg
