Lebanon · Lebanon
Mujadara (Lentils and Rice with Caramelized Onions)
Green lentils and long-grain rice cooked together, topped with a generous crown of deeply caramelized onion and finished with a drizzle of olive oil.
Mujadara is the dish that made onion an ingredient worth cooking slowly, and the onions are not a garnish on top, they are half the dish. They go in after the rice and lentils and are left long enough to turn from pale to a deep brown without burning. It is cheap, it fills a room, and it is the dish people reheat the next day.
Ingredients
- green or brown lentils200 g
- long-grain white rice150 g
- large yellow onions, thinly sliced400 g
- extra-virgin olive oil4 tbsp
- salt1 tsp
- ground cumin1 tsp
- water800 ml
- plain yogurt (optional, for serving)200 g
Directions
- 1
Cook half the onions in 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-low heat for 25 minutes until deep golden brown.
Onions are deep amber and sweet. - 2
Add rinsed lentils, water and salt; simmer 25 minutes until almost tender.
Lentils are tender but still hold shape. - 3
Stir in the rinsed rice and cumin; simmer covered 18 minutes until rice is cooked and water is absorbed.
Rice is fluffy and lentils are creamy. - 4
Meanwhile fry the remaining sliced onions in 2 tablespoons oil for 12 minutes until shatteringly crisp.
Onions are deep brown and crisp. - 5
Spoon the lentil-rice onto a platter, crown with crisp onions and finish with a thread of olive oil; serve with yogurt if desired.
Onions sit in a glossy mound.
Source: WorldBite Editorial · WorldBite Proprietary Editorial Content