Mujadara with Caramelized Onions
Fragrant green lentils and rice cooked with cumin, topped with deeply golden, sweet fried onions.
Recipe Author
Riff Kitchen@riffkitchen
Middle EasternDinnerVegetarian
Mujadara with Caramelized Onions
Fragrant green lentils and rice cooked with cumin, topped with deeply golden, sweet fried onions.
By Riff KitchenOn Riff.kitchen, recipes start from what is already in your fridge. Add what you have, and it plans around whatever goes off first.
- 10 prep · 55 cook
- 1 hr 5 min
- servings
- 4
- effort
- Easy
Chef's note
This humble, nutrient-dense pantry staple relies on the contrast between earthy legumes and the natural sweetness of slow-cooked onions.
Method
8 steps · tap one to tick it off
Tips
Give the onions their full time. Pale onions make a flat mujadara. Let them go deep brown, stirring more often near the end, when they darken fast.
Drain the onions on paper towels. Spread in a single layer, they crisp as they cool instead of steaming into a soft heap.
Check the lentils before serving. Green lentils can need longer than the rice. If they are still firm when the liquid is gone, add a splash of hot water, cover and give it 5 more minutes.
Swaps
No green lentils? Brown lentils, the usual choice for mujadara, cooked the same way.
No vegetable stock? Water with an extra pinch of salt; the onions carry most of the flavor.
No ground cumin? Cumin seeds, toasted a little longer, or ground coriander for a milder warmth.
Storage
Fridge: 3 to 4 days in a sealed container. Cool it quickly and keep the crispy onions in a separate jar.
Freezer: 2 to 3 months for best quality. Freeze it the day it is cooked; the rice and lentils come back softer and the onions lose their crunch.
Reheat: In a covered pan over low heat with a splash of water, stirring once, until steaming hot (75°C in the center).
Fridge and reheating follow Illinois Extension; freezer times are for quality and follow the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, as on what freezes and what does not.
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Chef's note
This humble, nutrient-dense pantry staple relies on the contrast between earthy legumes and the natural sweetness of slow-cooked onions.
Instructions
Follow the steps to perfection.
Tips
Give the onions their full time. Pale onions make a flat mujadara. Let them go deep brown, stirring more often near the end, when they darken fast.
Drain the onions on paper towels. Spread in a single layer, they crisp as they cool instead of steaming into a soft heap.
Check the lentils before serving. Green lentils can need longer than the rice. If they are still firm when the liquid is gone, add a splash of hot water, cover and give it 5 more minutes.
Swaps
No green lentils? Brown lentils, the usual choice for mujadara, cooked the same way.
No vegetable stock? Water with an extra pinch of salt; the onions carry most of the flavor.
No ground cumin? Cumin seeds, toasted a little longer, or ground coriander for a milder warmth.
Storage
Fridge: 3 to 4 days in a sealed container. Cool it quickly and keep the crispy onions in a separate jar.
Freezer: 2 to 3 months for best quality. Freeze it the day it is cooked; the rice and lentils come back softer and the onions lose their crunch.
Reheat: In a covered pan over low heat with a splash of water, stirring once, until steaming hot (75°C in the center).
Fridge and reheating follow Illinois Extension; freezer times are for quality and follow the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, as on what freezes and what does not.
Made it?
Tap a star to rate it.
Community Reviews 0
No reviews yet. Be the first to try this!
Riff Assistant
Ready to Remix