Mujadara (Lentils and Rice with Crispy Caramelized Onions)

Mujadara is proof that you do not need meat, or much of anything fancy, to make a genuinely great dinner. It is a Levantine staple, lentils and rice cooked together and piled high with onions fried down until they are dark, sweet, and almost caramel-like, and it has been a Lenten and Friday table dish across the eastern Mediterranean for longer than almost anything else in that region’s kitchen.

The whole dish rises or falls on the onions, and I mean that literally, they are not a garnish here, they are the soul of the thing. You need patience, low heat, and a good half hour to coax them into that deep amber color without burning them, and the oil left behind in the pan gets stirred right into the rice and lentils so nothing goes to waste.

I did not expect this to become one of Lucas’s favorite dinners, given that our house runs heavily toward meat and fish, but the onions won him over, and now it is in regular rotation, usually alongside a simple cucumber-tomato salad. If you love the other pantry staples in my Ful Medames (recipe on the site) or the bright crunch of Fattoush (recipe on the site), mujadara rounds out a full Levantine spread beautifully.

Mujadara Recipe

Prep time: 15 minutes · Cook time: 1 hour · Total: 1 hour 15 minutes · Servings: 6 · Calories: ~310 per serving

Ingredients

• 1 cup brown or green lentils, rinsed
• 1 cup basmati rice, rinsed and drained
• 4 large yellow onions, thinly sliced
• 3/4 cup olive oil, divided
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• Salt and black pepper, to taste
• 3 cups water, plus more for parboiling lentils
• Plain yogurt or a simple tomato-cucumber salad, to serve

Instructions

1. Place the lentils in a pot with enough water to cover by 2 inches. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 12-15 minutes, until just tender but not mushy. Drain and set aside.
2. While the lentils cook, heat 1/2 cup of the olive oil in a wide skillet over medium heat. Add the sliced onions and a pinch of salt.
3. Cook the onions slowly, stirring occasionally, for 30-35 minutes, until deeply browned and caramelized; lower the heat if they start to darken too fast. Work in two batches if your pan is crowded, so they crisp rather than steam.
4. Remove the onions with a slotted spoon onto paper towels, reserving the flavorful oil left in the pan.
5. In a heavy pot, heat the remaining 1/4 cup olive oil plus 3 tablespoons of the reserved onion oil. Add the cumin and coriander and stir for 30 seconds until fragrant.
6. Add the parboiled lentils, rice, and the 3 cups water. Season with salt and pepper, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 18-20 minutes, until the rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed.
7. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, for 10 minutes.
8. Fluff gently with a fork, transfer to a serving platter, and top generously with the crispy caramelized onions. Serve warm or at room temperature with yogurt or a tomato-cucumber salad.

Recipe Notes

• Low and slow is the only way to get truly caramelized onions, rushing this step with high heat gives you browned, bitter onions instead of sweet ones.
• Save any leftover onion-infused oil, it is wonderful drizzled over vegetables, eggs, or stirred into soup.
• Brown or green lentils hold their shape well here; red lentils will turn to mush and are not a good substitute in this dish.
• Mujadara is genuinely better the next day once the flavors settle, making it a good make-ahead lunch.