Mujaddara
Mujaddara is a flavorful rice and lentil dish adorned with caramelized onions, served with vegan tzatziki, hummus, and naan bread. Savory and oil-free, you will love the flavors in this Middle Eastern recipe!
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 193kcal
Ingredients
- 4 medium garlic cloves, minced
- ½ cup white onion diced (this is separate from the other onions used int eh recipe
- 1 Tablespoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons sea salt
- 3 teaspoons black pepper
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 5 cups of water (if using prepared lentils reduce fluid to 2 ½ cups water)
- 1 cup brown* basmati rice I used brown but white rice may be used as a substitute
- 1 cup regular brown or green lentils picked over for debris, rinsed and drained (or 2 cups prepared brown lentils)
Caramelized onions
- 2 medium yellow onions halved and thinly sliced
- ¼ cup vegetable broth
Garnishes (optional)
- 1 bunch green onions sliced
- ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro parsley, or mint
- Vegan Tzatziki
- Oil-free hummus of choice
- Whole Wheat Pita Bread of Naan
Instructions
- In a large soup pot, heat the pan to medium heat before adding any of the ingredients.
- Add the garlic, ½ cup chopped onion, cumin, cayenne, salt, and pepper.
- Cook until the onions start to brown and then add ¼ cup of vegetable broth. Stir until onions are translucent. and the fluid dissipates.
- Add the rice and stir into the garlic, onion, and seasoning mixture. The rice will begin to brown.
- Now, add the water and bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Note, if you are using prepared lentils use half the amount of water (2 ½ cups water)
- Once boiling, add the lentils, stir, cover and reduce the heat to simmer.
- Cook on simmer for 20-25 minutes until the liquid dissipates.
- Meanwhile, prepare the onions.
Preparing the Caramelized Onions
- Salt the onions generously and place them in a glass measuring cup and cover.
- Cook the onions in the microwave on high for 5 minutes.
- Remove the onions from the microwave and pour into a colander, running under cold water to remove all the salt.
- Now, place the rinsed onions on paper towels and spread them out, patting them with an additional paper towel to dry them. They don't have to be completely dry; get rid of the excess water.
- In a large skillet over medium heat, add the onions, They will immediately begin to sizzle and stick, even on a non-stick pan. This is what you want.
- Once the onions begin to brown add 2 Tablespoons of vegetable broth and stir. Wait a few minutes, allowing the onions to cook more, and then add 2 more Tablespoons of vegetable broth.
- Continue this process until the onions are caramelized.
- Remove the onions from the heat once you get your desired caramelization.
Serving the Mujaddara
- When the lentils and rice are done cooking, remove the pan from the heat, remove the cover and place a kitchen towel across the top of the pot and let it rest for 10 minutes. This allows the rice to absorb more moisture and fluff up.
- Remove the towel and fluff the rice lentil mixture with a fork.
- Garnish with green onions, parsley, cilantro, or mint. Or all of them!
- Add salt and pepper to taste.
- To serve, add the lentil rice mixture to individual bowls. Top with caramelized onions and garnishes.
Notes
- Don't have a microwave? Don't sweat it! Instead, use a steamer for the onions and steam for 5 minutes with the salt. Or, if you don't have a steamer, place a small amount of water in the bottom of a saucepan. Add the salted onions, and bring to a boil with the cover on the pan. Steam this way for 5 minutes. Then remove and continue as if you used the microwave.
- Prepared lentils are already cooked. I love Trader Joe's steamed brown lentils, or canned lentils are another option.
- If using prepared lentils, reduce the amount of water by one-half (2 ½ cups).
- After cooking the lentil and rice mixture, remove it from the heat and replace the cover on the pot with a kitchen towel. This helps the rice and lentil mixture finish cooking. Then, fluff with a fork.
- I served it with Vegan Tzatziki (Greek Yogurt Sauce) and hummus.
- Mujaddara stores well in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- To reheat in the microwave, choose the reheat rice option so the rice does not cook again.
Nutrition
Calories: 193kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 0.1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Sodium: 625mg | Potassium: 356mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 189IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 49mg | Iron: 3mg