Mujadara
Brown or green lentils, basmati or long-grain rice and ground coriander come together in this Middle Eastern vegan β 60 minutes, 6 steps, and the kind of result worth repeating. Scroll down for the ingredient checklist, a serving scaler and unit converter, and the method broken into 6 steps.
You'll mainly reach for frying pan / skillet and large pot. At medium difficulty across 6 steps, it's manageable with a little attention. As written, the ingredients are plant-based.
What you'll need
Shopping list (3)
Pantry staples (you likely have these)
π Unit converter
How to make it
- Rinse the lentils, put them in a pot with the water or stock, bring to a boil and simmer for about 15 minutes until just starting to soften but not breaking down.
- Meanwhile, thinly slice the onions and fry two of them in the olive oil over medium heat, stirring often for 15 to 20 minutes until deeply browned and crisp, then lift out and drain, reserving the flavoured oil.
- Soften the remaining sliced onion and the garlic in the reserved oil, then stir in the cumin, coriander and cinnamon and cook for a minute until fragrant.
- Rinse the rice, add it to the partly cooked lentils along with the spiced onion mixture and season well with salt and pepper.
- Bring back to a gentle boil, then cover and cook on low heat for about 15 minutes until the rice and lentils are tender and the liquid is absorbed, topping up with a splash of water if it looks dry.
- Rest covered off the heat for 10 minutes, fluff with a fork, then pile onto a platter and scatter the crisp fried onions generously over the top before serving warm or at room temperature.
You'll use: Frying pan / skillet Β· Large pot Β· Saucepan
What to serve with Mujadara
- Basbousa Dessert
- Chicken Shawarma Chicken
- Kofta Beef
- Labneh Starter
Tips & common questions
How long does Mujadara take to make?
About 60 minutes from start to finish β an estimate based on the 6 steps and 10 ingredients. Times vary with your kitchen and how much prep you do ahead.
Can I scale this recipe up or down?
Yes β use the servings control above the ingredients and every quantity rescales automatically (fractions included). Cooking times stay roughly the same; very large batches may need a little longer.
Is Mujadara vegan?
Based on its ingredients, this recipe contains no meat, fish, dairy or egg, so it looks vegan-friendly. Always double-check labels on packaged items.
Related recipes
Mujadara is an original Middle Eastern recipe developed in-house by Consomee. Photo: Baba ghannouj, mujadara, hoummos, and tabbouleh - Cambridge, MA.jpg (CC0) via Wikimedia Commons. We add the serving scaler, ingredient tools, timing and structure on top β how we source recipes.