This recipe is for authentic Lebanese Mujadara, a recipe I’ve learned from my mother, It is easy to make, plant-based, healthy, and super delicious.
What is Mujadara?
Mujadara in Arabic means “pockmarked”. It is a very famous dish all around Middle Eastern countries and each region has its own variation of the recipe. It is simply made with rice, lentils, and onion. Mujadara history goes way back to the medieval times and it was consumed mainly by the poor people considering how affordable it is.
This Vegan dish is tasty and healthy packed with nutrients, mostly due to the lentils which is a good source of plant-based protein, also has a good amount of iron, magnesium , zinc and fiber. So if you are looking for a post-workout meal to boost that protein , this is your recipe to make.
What Ingredients you will need:
- Rice: you can choose either white or brown rice to make the recipe, however for this recipe I have used white basmati rice.
- Lentils: Brown or green lentils can be used , for this recipe ive used green lentils as i like the texture more than brown lentils. Yellow and red lentils cannot be used as they will cook fast and turn into mush which will give you just a mushy rice.
- Onions: You can use white or red onions, for this recipe I’ve used red onions.
- spices: Cumin, Turmeric, bay leave, salt and pepper.
- Veggies stock/ Bouillon powder.
- Vegetable oil: for frying the onion.
Recipe Notes:
- Cooking the lentils: if you use green ones, make sure to soak them for 30 minutes before cooking them. After 30 minutes drain it and cook it in the veggie stock only for 10-15 minutes. Make sure that the lentils still have bite to them and not fully cooked as they will be fully cooked along with the rice.
- Cooking the rice and lentils: you will cook the rice and lentils using the same stock water in which you have cooked the lentils with, if you notice that the water is not enough to cover the rice and lentils, add extra water till you cover it and cook it.
- Crispy fried onions: frying the onion till it’s crispy might take 20 to 30 minutes, so you can start with it while soaking the rice and lentils.
How to serve mujadara:
The best way to serve it is with a classic Arabic salad with a tangy dressing, and just mix the mujadara with the salad. You can also have it with any Vegan yogurt you prefer.
Storing:
Store any leftovers in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. For serving, heat the rice and lentils in a pan on the stovetop and serve it with the crispy onion.
This recipe is great for meal planning, you can easily double the recipe and have 8 servings and store them in the fridge. If you are looking for a Weekly Meal Planner, check out our free weekly meal planner template by visiting the homepage and downloading it for free.
If you like this recipe, you might also like the below recipe:
Mujadara Recipe
Ingredients
Rice and lentils ingredients:
- 1 cup basmati white rice
- 1 cup green lentils
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- ½ tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tsp bouillon powder
- 1½ cup water
- salt and pepper
Fried onion ingredients:
- 2 red onions large and sliced
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- ½ tsp salt
Instructions
- Soak the rice and lentils (in separate bowls) for 30 minutes.
- While the rice and lentils are soaking, start prepping the onions for frying. Add the oil to a hot pan and add the sliced onions, add salt, and mix. let it fry on high heat, mixing it every 5 minutes or so till it crisps up, Let it drain on a kitchen towel and set aside.
- Drain the rice and lentils. Add the lentils to a pan along with the water, bay leaf, and bouillon powder and let it boil, then simmer for 10 minutes. Drain the lentils and reserve the stock for later(discard the bay leaf).
- To a pan on medium-high heat add the oil, rice, lentils, and spices, and mix to combine. Add the reserved stock from cooking the lentils. let it boil then lower the heat, cover the pan, and let the rice cook for 15 minutes on low heat.
- Turn the heat off and serve mujadara on a plate, top with the crispy fried onion and a side salad, and enjoy.
[…] any meal, whether it’s meat or vegetable dishes. You can also serve it with rice dishes like Mujadara, or a simple Vermicelli […]