Mjadara
Mjadara is one of the oldest dishes in the Levantine kitchen, with lentil-and-grain porridges of this kind traced back over a thousand years in Arab cookbooks, long before rice largely replaced the bulgur or cracked wheat that some regions still use today. Its name comes from the Arabic root for "pockmarked," a nod to how the dark lentils dot the pale rice like small marks across the dish. In Lebanon it crosses religious lines more than almost any other dish, eaten by Christians during Lenten fasts and by Muslims avoiding meat on certain days, which helped it spread across the region regardless of household. Street vendors and home cooks alike judge a good mjadara by its onions alone, and a plate is rarely served without a side of plain yogurt or a sharp, vinegary salad to cut through its richness.
Rice and lentils simmered as one pot
Mjadara is essentially rice and lentils cooked together in the same pot, absorbing each other's starch until the texture turns soft and slightly sticky.
The onions decide whether it's good or great
A separate batch of thinly sliced onions is fried low and slow until deeply caramelized, and it's this topping, not the grain itself, that most cooks obsess over.
A Lenten staple across the Levant
Because it contains no meat or dairy, mjadara has long been eaten by Christian and Muslim communities alike during religious fasting periods.
Humble ingredients, deep flavor
Known in Lebanon as a dish of the countryside, it turns pantry basics — lentils, rice, onions — into something far richer than the ingredient list suggests.
Ingredients 4 servings
- 1 cup (200g) brown or green lentils, rinsed
- 1 cup (200g) basmati rice, rinsed and soaked 15 minutes
- 3 large yellow onions, thinly sliced
- 120 ml olive oil, divided
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp ground coriander
- 4 cups (1L) water or vegetable stock
- 1 1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
How to make it
- 1Rinse the lentils, cover them with water in a pot, and simmer for about 15 minutes until just tender but not mushy.
- 2Meanwhile, heat half the olive oil in a wide pan and fry the sliced onions over low heat for 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they turn a deep golden brown.
- 3Set aside about a third of the fried onions for garnish and leave the rest in the pan.
- 4Drain the lentils and add them to the pan with the remaining onions, along with the rinsed rice, cumin, and coriander, stirring to coat everything in the oil.
- 5Pour in the water or stock, season with salt and pepper, and bring to a boil.
- 6Reduce the heat to low, cover, and let it cook undisturbed for about 18 minutes, until the rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed.
- 7Remove from the heat, let it rest covered for 10 minutes, then fluff gently and top with the reserved crispy onions before serving.
Nutritional info
per serving (~400 ml)
Estimated nutritional values.
Pairs perfectly with
