At the Immigrant's Table: Middle Eastern mujadara (2024)

Authentic Middle Eastern mujadara is my bowl of lentils and rice: naturally vegan and gluten-free, punctuated with Indian spices, laced throughout with bright green herbs and topped with crispy, browned onions. Comfort food at its purest!

How I Discovered Lentils

As I mentioned in the past, several kinds of vegetables were unwelcome in my house. Like orange vegetables, beans and lentils were also considered to be the foods of devil. They were deemed too fussy to prepare, and, frankly, entirely too flatulence-inducing for our family. I grew up thinking they were disgusting, and would have never dreamed of tasting a dahl, or even a bowl of chili.

Then, one cold autumn day in Grade 1, everyone in my homework club sat down to dinner. At the time, I felt mostly like a polite outsider, sitting beside Ethiopian and Moroccan children who spoke fluent Hebrew and seemed so comfortable in that small, crowded room.

I was one of a few Russian immigrants who stayed for language lessons in the evening, and who were graciously allowed to join the homework club kids for their meals.

For some of us, that was to be the only warm meal of the day.

Childhood Memories

That autumn evening, with our coats hanging messily off the hooks and the rain clattering against the window, I happily stood in a not-so-orderly line, anxious for my portion of food.

When my hands clasped that chipped, white ceramic bowl, and the steam enveloped my face, I couldn’t wait to get back into my chair and sink my spoon into the warm food.

But when I saw the rice and brown lentils in my bowl, it was my heart that sank.

I was far too polite and anxious to say anything, so, fighting back tears, I closed my eyes and put a small spoonful of mujadara in my mouth… And was immediately transported by the flavour, texture and warmth of that bite.

The noises of the room faded away, and it was just me, alone with that spiced, comforting bowl of Middle Eastern mujadra (or majadra, or mujaddara - the spelling differs according to the different traditions that make this dish, which are a great many)– the Middle Eastern take on beans and rice.

What is Middle Eastern Mujadara?

Mujadara is a classic Arabic recipe of cooked lentils and rice, flavoured with herbs and caramelized onions. The meaning of 'mujadara' is "pockmarked" in Arabic, as the rice looks pockmarked, or "pimpled" by the lentils!

The origin of mujadara is often attributed to Lebanon, but the first Mujadara recipe actually appeared in an Iraqi cookbook in 1226 (I believe it's mostly attributed to Lebanon because Lebanese food has become synonymous with Arabic food in the United States).

As with many canonical dishes, today Mujadara recipes are so common throughout the Middle East, it's almost impossible to isolate it to one country. However, regional variations are a different story!

Why is Mujadara so Popular?

Middle Eastern Mujadara recipes are very common, and the dish is incredibly popular throughout the world. Mujadara is popular because it's:

• Affordable
• Filling
• Made of common, pantry ingredients
• Quick to make
• Requires little equipment
• Can be made on an open fire!
• Delicious
• Easily customizable
• A complete vegan meal
• Naturally gluten-free
• A great side dish

A family favorite one pot meal

Since that cold, rainy evening, I have made more than my fair share of lentils, beans, and orange veggies, served over rice. Fragrant with crispy caramelized onions, it's the ultimate one-pot-meal, pure comfort food.

This is my take on the Middle Eastern mujadara: punctuated with Indian spices, laced throughout with bright green herbs and topped with glistening, browned onions.

Ingredients for Middle Eastern Mujadara

• 1 cup of brown or green lentils
• 1.5 cups of rice
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon chili powder
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 onions
• 2 tsps salt
• 4 tablespoon oil
• ½ bunch of chopped cilantro or parsley for serving (parsley is traditional, but I love the taste of cilantro)

How to make this Middle Eastern Mujadara recipe

If I planned well in advance, I like to soak my lentils in 4 cups of water for 20 minutes. If I am just winging it, that's fine too! The lentils don't have to soak and will just take a bit longer to cook from scratch.

Do the chopping: finely mince garlic. Dice 1 onion finely. Slice 1 onion into half-moons. Set aside.

Now, to give my Mujadara recipe the most flavour, I like to start the Indian way - by toasting my spices. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot. Add cumin, coriander, cinnamon and chili, if using, and toast lightly, for about a minute. Add diced onion and garlic 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 1 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). Stop cooking when lentils are done - for mujadara, 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, add rice, 1 teaspoon of salt and 2 cups of water to the same pot (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 gently with a fork, cover with lid and let rest for another 10 minutes.

For the best flavour, it's time to crisp your onions! 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 parsley or cilantro on the side, individual lemon wedges and, if you're eating dairy, yogurt or labaneh. It will be a magical dish!

My favourite Pots for Making Mujadara

I like to make it in a nice, big cast-iron dutch oven, and eat it for days to come. Perhaps this bowl of rice and lentils will warm up your day as well. I am also planning on making mujadara in a tagine and an InstantPot!

For more rice-based dishes:

• Jeweled vegetarian rice plov
• Grilled scallops with lemon-mint Pinot Grigio sauce on crispy pea cakes
• Enchanted rice with grapes, feta and pistachios, or the taste of teenage love

What to serve with Middle Eastern Mujadara?

• paprika chicken
• Middle Eastern Roasted carrots
• How to Make the Ultimate Middle Eastern appetizer platter with our best mezze recipes
• Israeli chopped salad with feta, za'atar and sumac

Recipe