Middle Eastern mujadara
User Reviews
4.4
62 reviews
Good
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Course
Main Course
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Cuisine
Middle Eastern
Middle Eastern mujadara
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Middle Eastern mujadara is a dish made of brown lentils and rice cooked with fragrant spices such as cumin, coriander, cinnamon, and optional chili powder. Onions are sautéed with garlic and the spices to build flavor. The lentils and rice are cooked together until tender, and the dish is traditionally served with sliced onions, fresh herbs like cilantro or parsley, and lemon wedges.
Description
This mujadara recipe begins by soaking lentils briefly to reduce cooking time. Cumin, coriander, cinnamon, and garlic are toasted in oil before adding finely chopped onions, which are cooked until golden. The soaked lentils with water and salt are added and simmered until tender but not mushy.
Simultaneously, the rice is rinsed multiple times to remove starch and soaked while the lentils cook. The final dish combines aromatic, flavorful lentils and rice with a texture that balances softness and slight bite. Serving with sautéed onion half-moons and fresh cilantro or parsley provides a fresh contrast, and lemon wedges add brightness.
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Ingredients
- 1 cup brown lentils or green lentils
- 1.5 cups of rice if using whole grain, adjust rice cooking time to longer, about 40-45 minutes, and you may need to double cumin and garlic as whole grain rice has a more pronounced taste
- 1 tablespoon cumin ground
- 1 tablespoon Coriander ground
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon ground
- ½ teaspoon chili powder optional
- 2 garlic minced, cloves
- 1 onion chopped finely
- 2 tsps salt or more - to taste
- 4 tablespoon neutral cooking oil generic cooking oil
- 1 onion sliced into half-moons (optional but highly recommended)
- ½ cilantro for serving (parsley is traditional, but I love the taste of cilantro, or parsley, chopped, bunch
- lemon for serving, wedges
- labaneh fort serving (optional, or Greek yogurt
Instructions
- Rinse lentils and soak them in 4 cups of water for 20 minutes (If you don't have time to soak your lentils, that's ok - they'll just need longer to cook).
- Mince garlic finely. Chop onion finely.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot. Add cumin, coriander, cinnamon, garlic and chili, if using, and toast lightly, for about a minute. Add onions to the spices, stir until coated, and saute until golden, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes.
- If lentils were soaking, drain the water. To the pot with onions and spices, add 1 cup of lentils and enough water to coat them, plus one more cup of water and 1 teaspoon of salt. Raise heat to medium-high and cook lentils for 20 minutes if the lentils were soaked (25-30 if they weren't soaked), testing for doneness (lentils should be cooked through but not mushy).
- While lentils are cooking, rinse your rice 3-5 times in cold water, until water comes out clean. Let rice soak in 4 cups of water while lentils are cooking.
- When lentils are cooked through but not mushy, to the same pot as the lentils add rice, 1 teaspoon of salt and 2 cups of water (if using whole-grain rice, you'll want more water, about 2.5 cups). Cover with a lid, raise heat to medium high and bring to a boil. Once water is boiling, lower heat to very low and let cook for about 25 minutes, until most of the water has evaporated and rice is cooked through. Fluff rice through gently with a fork, cover with lid and let rest for another 10 minutes.
- Optional: While rice is cooking, heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a pan. When oil has heated through, add slivered onions. Let cook on low-medium heat until onions have browned and caramelised.
- Chop cilantro or parsley finely.
- When rice is cooked through, pour contents of pot into big serving platter. Mix rice and lentils gently. Top with chopped herbs and caramelized onions. Taste and adjust flavours - dish may need more salt, as for your liking.
- Serve with more herbs on the side, individual lemon wedges and, if you're eating dairy, labaneh. It will be a magical dish!
Genuine Reviews
User Reviews
Overall Rating
4.4
62 reviews
Good
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