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If you fell in love with the Kalustyan's Mujaddara in NYC when it was the best thing to eat in the whole damn city, this recipe faithfully replicates the rad things about it, but does it with rice instead of bulgur, because, it's yummier and also gluten-free that way. This requires almost no skill, super-basic pantry staples, and somehow produces mujadara that is absurdly tasty beyond belief.
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Growing up and working in restaurants in NYC, Kalustyan's, not far from where my folks lived was THE store in NYC to get rad, obscure ingredients. But the best kept secret was they had a "deli" on the 2nd floor that served the best lunch in the whole city. No cap.
Two adorable older guys ran the lunch counter, and they were legit like characters out of a Muppets movie in the sense that they were tender, but a wee bit surly and usually arguing with each other. That being said, they would serve mujadara on soft pita bread with pickled veggies, olives, a handful of shredded lettuce and chopped tomatoes. It was super-filling nourishment, made with pride by some real friggin' characters, who also happened to make some pretty great ful medames, and shorbet adas.
And when I say their food made an impact on me as a young aspiring chef, I am not downplaying it at all. A charming, yummy food slinging, somewhat grouchy guy is what I would love to be when I grow up.
In most ways, I modeled this recipe after the version they made many years ago at Kalyustian's. But having tried many, mostly inferior versions ever since, like a fiend chasing that first high, there are a few tweaks I fell in love with elsewhere, that I've incorporated here. Principal amongst those is using aged, long grain basmati rice in place of bulgur.
I mean, don't get me wrong, bulgur is chill. I love it in kisir, bulgur pilavi, and mercimek koftesi, but I think mujadara makes a more satisfying meal with rice. And besides, then my wife who's gluten-free can partake, which is good for my marriage…
Here's the plan: The lentils go into the pot first and get a 15-minute head start before the rice joins, which means both finish at the same time with the right texture. No mushy lentils sitting around waiting for the rice to catch up, no crunchy rice pretending it is done. Everything lands together.
Aged basmati is worth seeking out here if you can find it. The grains stay separate and fluffy instead of clumping, which matters when they are sharing a pot with lentils that want to turn everything into a starchy huddle. Regular basmati works fine, but the aged stuff earns its shelf space in this recipe.
This banging stuff is a staple across Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, and well beyond, and it shows up on tables as a main dish, not a side. A heavy ladle full of tahini sauce, some pickled vegetables, a handful of olives, and you are eating one of the most satisfying meals in the galaxy for about $2 per serving. That math alone should be illegal what with today's grocery pricing.
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🥰 Why you'll adore this Mujaddara recipe
✊ Vegan AF & Easily GF: No cows were milked, no chickens were interrogated, and no feelings were hurt in the making of any of my Middle Eastern recipes. It hates wheat and gluten almost as much as you!
💰 Absurdly Cheap: The entire ingredient list reads like a dare. You could fund this meal by checking your coat pockets from last winter.
🍳 One Pot, One Skillet, One Legend: Lentils and rice share a pot, onions get crispy in a skillet, and that is the whole darn operation. Your sink will barely know you cooked din din.
✅ Tested and Approved Worldwide: Like all my vegan recipes, my recipe testing squad of 1,000+ home cooks from dozens of countries got their paws on this and came back with nothing but empty pots and "when are you posting this?"
🤘Learn to make killer vegan Middle Eastern food
This guide to my most popular plant-based Middle Eastern recipes is 100% FREE, & you'll love the actual heck out of it 🥰
🍚 Lebanese Lentils and Rice Ingredients
The Lentils
The traditional move- brown lentils get tender without falling apart, which is the whole point here.
Red lentils will dissolve into mush, and big green lentils are better off in something like Mexican lentejas where their thicc energy belongs. Black beluga or French green lentils are your best swaps.
Got leftover brown lentils after making this? Moroccan spiced lentils, harira, and vegan chopped liver will happily take 'em. No soaking, just rinse and go.
The Rice
Aged basmati has long aromatic grains that stay individual and fluffy when cooked with the lentils. The kind I use for this (as well as for my vegan biryani) is grown in Pakistan, but truly any basmati is great here. Long grain white rice sorta fills in, though it will not smell as gorgeous.
The Spices
I use a hint of cardamom and smoked paprika, but another rad option here would be to use a spoonful of baharat.
Cumin pretty much has to be part of legit mujadara. The wild mountain cumin seeds from Burlap and Barrel are gosh darn incredible here if you can get 'em.
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*See the recipe card at the bottom of the page for exact quantities, nutritional info, and detailed cooking directions.
📖 How to make Mujadara
Mentally eating this already? Same. Follow these step-by-step instructions with tips to get it perfies on your first try, or scroll to the recipe card below if patience left the building 10 minutes ago.
Step One
Sautéderday Night Fever:
Heat the olive oil in a medium pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, about 90 seconds, add the diced onion and cook for 4 to 5 minutes until softened and lightly golden.
Step Two
Cardamom B:
Add the cumin, coriander, paprika, red pepper flakes, black pepper, and garlic and stir constantly for 30 seconds to bloom the spices briefly in the hot oil.
Step Three
Lentil the Cows Come Home:
Pour in the lentils and vegetable stock, stir to combine, and bring everything to a boil over high heat. Drop to medium heat and let the lentils cook for 12 minutes until they are just partially tender.
Step Four
Rice to Meet You:
Stir in the rice and salt. Bring the pot back to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook for 18 to 20 minutes until the rice and lentils are tender and all the liquid has been absorbed.
Step Five
Mujadare to Says No to Drugs:
Pull the pot off the heat and leave it covered for 10 minutes. Do not peek. The steam finishes the cooking and lets everything settle. After 10 minutes, fluff gently with a fork.
Step Six
Mujadara the Explara:
While the lentils and rice simmer, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, about 90 seconds, add the sliced onions and salt. Cook for 6 to 7 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onions are deep golden brown and crispy. Move them to a plate.
Step Eight
Tahini Weeny Purple Polka Dot Bikini:
Spoon the cooked lentils and rice onto a serving platter or into bowls. Pile the fried onions on top. If you are going to make this the way Kalyusian's used to, add olives, pickled vegetables, tahini sauce (I use my tarator recipe for this), cherry tomatoes, and parsley.
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💡Serving Ideas
Mujadara is a main, so treat it like one, but a few things on the side never hurt.
A scoop of Lebanese baba ganoush or muhammara gives you something to smear on your kuboos between bites, and toum on the table is never not a good decision unless you are trying to make out with Dracula later in the evening. He will be passed out, and will likely die, so proceed with caution if you are a level-10 goth.
Something fresh on the side goes a long way here. A shirazi salad, tabbouleh, Middle Eastern cucumber beet salad or Moroccan carrot salad. Zaalouk is another one that vibes hard with this, all smoky and tomatoey. That's whatttt.
👉 Top tips
- Give the Lentils a Head Start: Lentils take longer to cook than rice, so they get a 15-minute head start before the rice even enters the pot. Skip this and you end up with perfect lentils sitting next to crunchy rice, or mushy lentils next to perfect rice, and neither of those is going to win you any awards.
- Let It Rest Before You Fluff: When the timer goes off, pull the pot off the heat and leave it covered for 10 more minutes. I know it feels like the food is done and you are just standing there for no reason, but that resting time lets the residual steam finish the job.
🤷♀️ Recipe FAQs
You sure can, ya cheap bum. And the dish will still taste pretty damn good due to the seasonings. Stock adds a deeper, more savory base that water does not. If you add some bullion paste, just cut back on the salt you add to taste.
They are best fresh, but you can fry them a few hours early and leave them out on a plate. They lose some crunch as they sit, but a quick 2 minutes in a dry skillet brings a bit of it back.
You can also swap in store-bought pre-fried onions, like the kind you would use to top a vegan green bean casserole. They are not quite the same, but they get the job done. Just know those are usually not gluten free, if that is a concern for you.
🧊 In the Fridge:
Keep the lentils and rice in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Store the fried onions separately if you have any left, so they do not go soggy sitting against the moisture. This is one of those dishes that tastes even better the next day after the cumin and pepper have had time to settle in.
❄️ In the Freezer:
The lentils and rice freeze well for up to 3 months in a sealed container. The fried onions do not freeze well, so make a fresh batch when you reheat.
🔥 Reheating
Add the lentils and rice to a pot over low heat with a splash of water or stock. Cover and stir occasionally until warmed through, adding more liquid if it starts looking dry. Crisp up a fresh batch of fried onions to pile on top, because reheated fried onions are a shadow of their former selves.
✌️You'll also love these vegan Middle Eastern recipes:
Learn the secrets to perfect falafel in this fun cooking class with Chef Adam Sobel!
Mujadara Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Lentils and Rice:
- 4 teaspoons olive oil
- ½ cup onion diced
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon garlic minced
- 1 cup brown lentils
- 4 cups unsalted vegetable stock or water
- 1 cup aged basmati rice
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt or to taste
Optional Toppings:
- ¼ cup pitted olives chopped
- ½ cup pickled vegetables
- ¼ cup tahini sauce
- ½ cup cherry tomatoes cut in half
- ¼ cup parsley minced
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a medium pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. After 90 seconds when the oil is hot, add the diced onion and sauté for 4-5 minutes until softened and lightly golden.
- Add the cumin, coriander, paprika, red pepper flakes, black pepper, and garlic and cook for 30 seconds, stirring constantly to bloom the spices in the hot oil.
- Add the lentils and vegetable stock. Stir to combine and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce to medium-low and cook for 12 minutes just until the lentils are just partially tender.
- Stir in the rice and salt. Return the mixture to a gentle boil, then reduce to low heat. Cover and cook until the rice and lentils are tender and the liquid has been absorbed, 18 to 20 minutes.
- Remove the pot from the heat and let it stand, covered, for 10 minutes. Fluff gently with a fork.
- While the lentils and rice are cooking, prepare the fried onions. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. After 90 seconds when the oil is hot, add the sliced onions and salt. Cook, stirring frequently, for 6-7 minutes until the onions are deep golden brown and crisp. Transfer to a plate.
- Spoon the lentils and rice onto a serving platter or into individual bowls. Top with the fried onions. Optionally garnish with olives, pickled vegetables, tahini sauce, cherry tomatoes, and parsley before serving.
Notes
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