Mujadara
مجدرة
Lentils, rice and a scandal of fried onion — the cheap pot that tastes like a house.
Recipe by I Want Some Food · Reviewed by the editorial kitchen. Native name preserved: مجدرة.
0 people cooked this in the public kitchen yet. Kitchen-tested by I Want Some Food. Not a purchased rating.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 45 min
- Rest
- None
- Total
- 1 hr
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Spice
- No chilli
- Cost
- Cheap nightUnder $8 USD · indicative, not a store price
About
Mujadara is lentils and rice (or bulgur) cooked together and buried under onions fried until they are sweet and dark. Cumin. Yoghurt on the side. It should not be a bland beige pile. The onions are half the dish. Onions are the long job. If they are blond, keep going until they taste jammy and catch a little colour without turning acrid. A wide pan helps. Lentils should be cooked enough to be friendly, not blown to mush before the rice goes in. Rice (or bulgur) needs the right water or you get porridge. Cumin blooms in the onion fat. Salt the pot more than you would a plain rice, because pulses dull seasoning. Rest off the heat, then bury it in onions. A bowl of yoghurt beside it is a temperature and acid contrast, not a garnish you can skip without noticing.
Ingredients
Scaling multiplies the written quantities. Baking still prefers a scale.
Steps
Step 1
Fry two-thirds of the onion in oil until deep brown, 15–20 minutes. Lift out. Do not rush this.
20 minStep 2
In the same pot, soften remaining onion, add lentils, water and cumin. Simmer 15 minutes. Add rice and salt. Cook until both are tender.
30 minStep 3
Pile the fried onions on top. Yoghurt, a salad.
Adapt this recipe
The canonical recipe stays intact. Personal versions are labelled. Serving changes are maths, not AI.
Adaptations · 0 / 15 used. Resets 10 October.
Substitutions
Olive oil → A neutral oil
Less perfume.
Tips
- Bulgur instead of rice is a mountain version.
- The onions should be past gold and into mahogany.
History & culture
Lenten tables, student kitchens, and the pot you make when meat is not the point. This is the pot that feeds people when meat is off the table for money, Lent, or preference. It is not an apology. Student kitchens love it because the ingredients are dry goods. Families still fight about rice versus bulgur. Fried onions on top should be abundant enough to embarrass you. A beige pile with a few onion strings is the sad cafeteria version. The culture is the smell of onions taking their time on a Thursday.
A Levantine pulse-and-grain plate. The name is the lentils. Lentils and grain together are an old West Asian answer to protein without a carcass. The Arabic name points at the pulses. Caramelised onion as the luxury is kitchen cleverness: the expensive taste is time and oil, not saffron. Recipes spread with people, not with a patent. Tinned lentils are a modern haste that can work if you still fry the onions properly. Skip that step and you have made a different, quieter dish.
Traditional
Provenance: Editorial adaptation.
Questions about this recipe
Answers taken from this dish's times, amounts, swaps and tips — not a chatbot.
How long does Mujadara take?
1 hr all in — 15 min prep, 45 min cook. Cook and rest follow the method. Leftover storage and optional extra waits are not included.
How many does it serve?
The recipe is written for 4 pots. Scale the ingredient list on the page if you are cooking for a different number.
How hard is it?
Easy.
How spicy is it?
No chilli.
What allergens should I watch?
This recipe is labelled for Milk. Labels are informational — check the packets in your kitchen. This is not medical advice.
Does it fit a diet?
The published recipe is labelled Vegetarian, Vegan.
What does it cost to cook?
Cheap night — about Under $8 USD, as a grocery budget for this recipe, not a restaurant price.
What equipment do I need?
Saucepan, Frying pan.
How much salt do I put in?
The recipe lists Salt at 1½ tsp.
What can I use instead?
Olive oil → A neutral oil. Less perfume.
Any tips from this recipe?
Bulgur instead of rice is a mountain version. The onions should be past gold and into mahogany.
Can I use an air fryer?
This method is not written for an air fryer. The core technique on the page still applies.
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