Lebanon · Lebanese cuisine (everyday and Lenten dishes)
Mujaddara
A simple, comforting Lebanese dish of cumin-scented lentils and rice, crowned with a mountain of deeply golden, crisp-edged caramelised onions, served with cool yogurt and a salad.
Cookhuddle Editorial Cookhuddle | Lebanon
Editorial selection: recipes cross-checked against several documentary sources. They have not been tested in our kitchen: follow the precautions given and adapt times to your own oven.
Photo: Bazel · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source · cropped
translation Translated from French. Translation by Cookhuddle Editorial. Read the original
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- Servings
- 6
- Preparation
- 15 min
- Cooking
- 45 min
- Resting
- 10 min
- Total
- 70 min
- Difficulty
- Easy
Cuisine / tradition: Lebanese cuisine (everyday and Lenten dishes) (LB) — declared by the author
- Main dish
- Everyday
Ingredients
For 6 servings
- 3 piece large onions, thinly sliced
- 120 ml olive oil
- 200 g brown or green lentils, rinsed
- 150 g short or long grain rice, rinsed
- 1.2 l cold water
- 1/4 tsp ground cumin
- 1/4 tsp seven-spice mix
- 1 tsp salt, or to taste
- 400 g plain yogurt, to serve
- 1 piece cabbage or cucumber and tomato salad, to serve
Method
- Step 1. Put the sliced onions and the olive oil in a wide, heavy non-stick pan. Cook over high heat for the first 3 to 4 minutes, then lower to the lowest heat and cook for 35 to 40 minutes, stirring every few minutes so that they do not burn on one side, until deep golden brown and caramelised.⏱ 40 min
- Step 2. Meanwhile put the rinsed lentils in a pot with the 1.2 litres of cold water. Bring to the boil, then lower to medium heat and cook for 20 minutes, until the lentils are almost tender.⏱ 20 min
- Step 3. Add the rinsed rice to the lentils with the salt, cumin and seven spice. Add a quarter of the caramelised onions and any extra oil from their pan.
- Step 4. Cover and cook on low heat for 20 minutes, until the water has been absorbed and the rice and lentils are cooked through. Taste and adjust the salt.⏱ 20 min
- Step 5. Rest, covered, for 10 minutes, then fluff gently with a fork. Spread on a dish and pile the remaining caramelised onions on top. Serve warm with plain yogurt and a salad.⏱ 10 min
Story and cultural note
Mujaddara is a dish of lentils, rice and deeply caramelised onions widespread in the Middle East; the Lebanese version read here is simple, with only cumin and a little seven spice and plenty of olive oil. The sources agree on brown or green lentils (red lentils break down) and on very slowly cooked onions, some of which are kept as a topping. They differ on the spices (cinnamon, coriander, allspice), on cooking the lentils and rice together or separately, and on the quantity of oil. It is served with yogurt and a salad such as fattoush.
Tips for success
Cook the onions very slowly over low heat until deeply coloured: they are the flavour of the dish. Use brown or green lentils, which keep their shape. Add the rice only when the lentils are almost done. Rest, covered, before serving so that the rice is tender.
Serving and presentation
Spread on a shallow dish and crown with the mountain of caramelised onions. Serve warm with cool plain yogurt and a cabbage or cucumber salad.
Diet and allergens
Information declared by the author. CookHuddle does not verify or certify it. If you have an allergy, check the ingredients yourself.
DietVegetarianGluten-freeEgg-freeNut-free
ContainsMilk
