Mujaddara (majadra)

Name: Mujaddara (majadra)
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h 25 min
Yield: 8 portions
Cuisine: Lebanese, Syrian, Egyptian, Iraqi
Ingredients: 5 pcs Large onions, in thin half rings; 200 ml Canola oil for frying (the strained oil goes back into the pot and over the top); 2 g A pinch of salt for the onions; 300 g Brown or green lentils; 1,200 ml Water for the lentils (the liquid goes back into the rice); 400 g Basmati or long grain rice, rinsed; 6 g Ground cumin; 2 g Ground allspice; 2 g Black pepper; 12 g Salt

Mujaddara is rice and brown lentils cooked together in one pot and crowned with a heap of onions fried to a deep brown. It is one of the oldest vegetarian dishes of the Middle East, humble, filling and good both hot and at room temperature, and its secret is plain: the onions are not a garnish, they are half the flavour.

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Updated 22.10.2026

Time1 h 25 minCook 1 h

Amount8 portions2.4 kg

Per portion567 kcal15.6 g protein · a 300 g portion

Cost of the pot₪19for the pot, about ₪2.4 a bowl

The story of Mujaddara

The name comes from Arabic and means pockmarked: the dark lentils are scattered among the pale grains of rice. A rice and lentil dish by this name already appears in a 13th century Baghdad cookbook, where it was served with meat at feasts. Without the meat it became, for generations, the food of the ordinary home: lentils, grain, onion and oil, four things found in every pantry in the Levant, Syria, Egypt and Iraq.

Many people link mujaddara to the lentil stew Jacob gave Esau in the Book of Genesis, a lovely cultural thread rather than a historical fact. What is certain is that the dish crossed every community and faith in the region: Arab Christians eat it during Lent, Druze and Galilee villages cook it with coarse bulgur, and Syrian and Egyptian Jews brought the rice version to Israel. Today it is in almost every Israeli home, from Thursday supper to the office lunch.

What makes Mujaddara itself

A good mujaddara has three textures: separate grains of rice, whole soft lentils and onions browned to the edge. The amount of onion surprises first timers, a kilo for a pot of 8, because frying takes away about three quarters of its weight. The oil the onions fried in goes back into the pot and seasons the rice, so the sweet, almost smoky taste of the onion is in every spoonful, not only on top. The lentils cook first on their own, since they need longer than the rice, and their cooking liquid becomes the rice water.

Mujaddara for any number of people

Change the number of people and the portion size, and every ingredient updates in grams, with the cost, calories and protein per portion.

People

Portion size

Units

2.4kg of food

3Pot to use, litres

₪19Cost of the pot

₪2.4per portion

567kcal per portion

15.6g protein per portion

Ingredient	Amount	Cost
The fried onions
Large onions, in thin half rings	1 kg · 5 pcs	₪5.9
Canola oil for frying (the strained oil goes back into the pot and over the top)	200 g	₪3.0
A pinch of salt for the onions	2 g
The lentils
Brown or green lentils	300 g	₪4.8
Water for the lentils (the liquid goes back into the rice)	1.2 kg
The rice and spices
Basmati or long grain rice, rinsed	400 g	₪4.4
Ground cumin	6 g	₪0.5
Ground allspice	2 g	₪0.3
Black pepper	2 g	₪0.3
Salt	12 g	₪0.0

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Shelf prices at a large Israeli chain and specialty shops, October 2026. Nutrition from the ingredients in grams, before cooking.

How many calories in Mujaddara? Nutrition facts and calorie calculator

Change the amount of any ingredient, drop one, or pick a lighter version, and the numbers per serving update at once: calories, fat, carbs, protein, sodium and fibre.

Mujaddara has 189 calories per 100 g. A 300 g serving made with our recipe has 567 calories: 15.6 g protein, 24 g fat and 59.4 g carbohydrates.

Servings

Lighter

Ingredients, for the whole recipe

Large onions, in thin half rings5 pcs50 kcal per serving
Canola oil for frying (the strained oil goes back into the pot and over the top)200 ml203 kcal per serving
A pinch of salt for the onions2 g0 kcal per serving
Brown or green lentils300 g127 kcal per serving
Basmati or long grain rice, rinsed400 g183 kcal per serving
Ground cumin6 g3 kcal per serving
Ground allspice2 g1 kcal per serving
Black pepper2 g1 kcal per serving
Salt12 g0 kcal per serving

Nutrition facts

Serving300 g

Energy567kcal

Protein 12%
Fat 42%
Carbs 46%

	Serving	Per 100 g	% Daily Value
Fat	24.1 g	8	31%
Saturated fat	1.9 g	0.6	10%
Cholesterol	0 mg	0	0%
Sodium	691 mg	230	30%
Carbohydrates	59.4 g	19.8	22%
Dietary fibre	14.4 g	4.8	51%
Protein	15.6 g	5.2	31%
Calcium	62 mg	21	5%
Iron	2.9 mg	1	16%
Potassium	439 mg	146	9%

Daily values are based on a 2,000 kcal diet.

How to make Mujaddara

In cook mode the screen stays on, tap a step when it is done, and the timers run next to each step.

15 minPrep1 hCook10 minRest

Rinse the lentils, put them in a pot with 1.2 litres of water and cook for 15 minutes from the boil, until soft outside but still holding their shape. Drain and keep the cooking liquid.
While the lentils cook, slice the onions into 3 mm half rings and separate them with your hands.
Heat the oil in a wide, deep pan to about 170°C, when a ring of onion dropped in sizzles at once. Fry the onions in two batches, 15 to 20 minutes each, over medium high heat and stirring, until evenly dark brown.
Lift the onions out with a slotted spoon, spread them thinly on paper towel and sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Strain the oil and keep it.
Rinse the rice in three or four changes of water, until the water is almost clear, and drain well.
In a heavy pot heat 4 tablespoons of the onion oil, add the cumin and allspice for 30 seconds, then the rice. Stir for 2 minutes, until every grain is coated in oil.
Add the lentils, a third of the fried onions crumbled, 750 ml of the lentil liquid (topped up with hot water if short), salt and black pepper. Taste: the liquid should be as salty as soup.
Bring to a boil, cover with a tight lid and cook over the lowest heat for 18 minutes without opening.
Turn off the heat, put a clean tea towel between pot and lid and rest for 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork, top with the rest of the onions and drizzle with a little of the remaining oil.

The science of Mujaddara

Kitchen science

Why mujaddara onions suddenly brown

Onion is about 89% water, and while water remains its temperature stays near 100°C and it only softens. Once the water evaporates the temperature climbs, the onion's sugars caramelise and react with amino acids in the Maillard reaction, which gives brown colour and deep flavour. This stage is fast, so take the onions out just before the shade you want: the heat left in them keeps browning them.

Kitchen science

Why brown lentils, not red

Brown, green and black lentils are sold whole with their skins, and their cell walls are rich in pectin and hemicellulose, which keep the seed whole even after half an hour of cooking. Red lentils are hulled and split, and without the skin they collapse into a purée within 10 to 15 minutes. That suits kitchri, which should be soft, not a mujaddara with separate grains.

Kitchen science

What rinsing does to rice

Rice grains carry a dust of starch worn off during polishing. In hot water it dissolves into a glue that sticks grains together. Rinsing until the water is almost clear removes it, and a long grain rice such as basmati, rich in amylose, stays separate. Coating the grains in oil before the liquid adds another layer of protection.

Kitchen science

Rice and lentils, a pair that completes itself

Legume proteins are rich in the amino acid lysine and low in methionine, and grains are the other way round. Eaten together, as in mujaddara, each fills in what the other lacks. The same pairing turns up in many cuisines, from rice and beans in the Americas to dal and rice in India.

Kitchen science

Why a towel goes under the lid

At the end of cooking the pot is full of hot steam, which finishes the centre of each grain. When the steam meets a cold lid it condenses into drops that fall back and wet the top layer. A towel between pot and lid absorbs the drops, and the 10 minute rest lets the starch set, so the grains separate with a fork instead of being crushed.

Mujaddara in every kitchen

Lebanese, mjaddara and mudardara

In Lebanon mjaddara is often a smooth purée of lentils with a little rice, almost a porridge, while mudardara is the version with whole rice and lentils and fried onions on top. South Lebanon also makes a dark version with bulgur and onions browned almost to burning.

Palestinian and Druze, with bulgur

Galilee and Druze villages cook mujaddara with coarse bulgur and plenty of olive oil, sometimes with part of the onions cooked inside the pot. It comes with yogurt and a green salad.

Syrian and Egyptian Jewish

A rice and brown lentil version that was a regular Thursday supper in many homes, alongside yogurt and other dairy dishes.

Iraqi, kitchri

Iraqi Jews cook rice with red lentils and garlic, softer and without the heap of onions, and eat it on Thursday nights and during the Nine Days before Tisha B'Av, with yogurt.

Egyptian, koshari

Egypt's street food: rice, lentils and short pasta in layers, with a hot tomato and vinegar sauce, chickpeas and crisp fried onions on top.

Cyprus and India

Cyprus cooks moujendra with brown lentils, rice or bulgur and onions fried in olive oil. In India khichdi is rice with split mung beans and ginger, soft as porridge, and the Iraqi kitchri takes its name from it.

Common Mujaddara problems and how to fix them

My mujaddara came out mushy

There was too much liquid, the lentils were precooked too long, or the pot was stirred while cooking. The lentils need only 15 minutes in the first boil, because they keep cooking with the rice, and the liquid is measured: 750 ml for 400 g of rice. Once the pot is covered, do not open or stir it.

The lentils stayed hard

Old lentils that sat long in the pantry need more time. Test one after 15 minutes, and if it is still grainy keep going for another 5 to 10 minutes before adding the rice. Tomato or lemon at this stage slows the softening, so they only go in at the end.

The fried onions taste bitter

They burned. The line between deep brown and burnt is one minute, because browning speeds up at the end. Fry over medium high heat, not full, and take them out when they are nut brown, because they keep darkening on the paper.

The onions came out soft and oily, not crisp

The pan was overcrowded or the oil was not hot enough, so the onions steamed in their own juice. Fry in at least two batches, spread thinly on paper and salt only at the end, because early salt draws out water and slows browning.

The rice stuck and scorched on the bottom

The heat was too high after covering, or the pot is thin. Use a heavy based pot and the lowest flame, and if the flame is still strong put a heat diffuser under the pot. A thin brown layer on the bottom is not a fault; for many it is the best part.

Storing, freezing and reheating

4 days

In the fridge

2 months, without the fried onions

In the freezer

2+4

To cool

Bring it from 60 to 21 °C within two hours and down to 5 °C within four more. Split a big pot into shallow boxes.

75 °C

Reheating

Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of water over each kilo of mujaddara, cover and reheat over low heat or in the microwave until steaming. Crisp the onions again for 3 minutes in a dry pan or 5 minutes in a hot oven, and scatter them only when serving.

Nutrition of Mujaddara

From our recipe, per bowl and per 100 g, next to the national food database.

Serving	kcal	Protein, g	Fat, g	Carbs, g	Fibre, g
Our recipe, a 300 g portion	567	15.6	24.0	59.4	14.4
Our recipe, 100 g	189	5.2	8.0	19.8	4.8
Typical Mujaddara, 100 g	164	5.1	4.7	22.1	3.4
Typical Mujaddara, 100 g (2)	164	5.1	4.7	22.1	3.4
Typical Mujaddara, 100 g (3)	137	5.3	4.7	14.0	5.8

What the ingredients of Mujaddara cost

What each ingredient costs in one pot, and where to buy it.

Ingredient	Price	In this pot	Where to buy
Large onions, in thin half rings	₪5.9 per kg	₪5.9	Greengrocer
Brown or green lentils	₪16 per kg	₪4.8	Supermarket
Basmati or long grain rice, rinsed	₪11 per kg	₪4.4	Supermarket
Canola oil for frying (the strained oil goes back into the pot and over the top)	₪15 per litre	₪3	Supermarket
Ground cumin	₪86 per kg	₪0.5	Supermarket
Ground allspice	₪160 per kg	₪0.3	Spice shop
Black pepper	₪139 per kg	₪0.3	Supermarket
A pinch of salt for the onions	₪2.1 per kg	₪0	Supermarket

Shelf prices at a large Israeli chain and specialty shops, October 2026, VAT included. Vegetable prices change with the season.

Mujaddara and its culture

Mujaddara is the food of the in between days: Thursday supper, days of fasting and mourning, and the end of the month. Lentils are a food of mourning in Jewish tradition, so kitchri and mujaddara appear in many homes during the Nine Days, and Arab Christians cook it during Lent. Yet it is also a dish of plenty: in a village, a big pot of mujaddara with a bowl of yogurt and warm pita feeds a whole family, and the neighbours know onions are frying by the smell in the street.

Today mujaddara is one of the most common dishes at office lunches, on vegan menus and at event buffets, because it is filling, parve, plant based and still delicious at room temperature. In the Lebanese, Syrian and Palestinian diaspora, from Latin America to Australia, it remains the midweek home dish, and at the same time it has joined vegetarian menus around the world as a Middle Eastern classic.

A whole meal around Mujaddara

Course 1

Starter: hummus, tahini and chopped Arab salad

Cool, fresh dishes that set the table and leave room for the pot.

Course 2

Main: mujaddara with fried onions

Served on a wide platter, with the onions piled in the centre and their oil drizzled over.

Course 3

On the side: yogurt with cucumber and mint, or tahini

Sour and cool against the sweet onions. On a vegan table, tahini with lemon.

Course 4

Pickles: pink turnip, cucumbers and olives

A sour crunch that cuts through the richness of the oil.

Course 5

Dessert: date ma'amoul and sage tea

A simple sweet ending from the same kitchen that does not weigh you down after a filling dish.

Make Mujaddara a meal

Shabbat

Ready Shabbat food

Soup, hamin, mains and sides, with a quantity calculator and prices.

Plan Shabbat

Hosting

Hosting trays

9 trays to go with the soup, with a planner by number of guests.

Tray planner

Events

Catering

A whole menu in grams per guest, with a reheating table.

Menus

What to serve with Mujaddara

Serve hot or at room temperature with yogurt or labneh, a finely chopped vegetable salad and pickles. For a vegan meal swap the yogurt for tahini with lemon, and next to a meat main serve it as a side with tahini.

The cuisine behind Mujaddara

Lebanese

Lebanese cuisine

The name comes from Arabic and means pockmarked: the dark lentils are scattered among the pale grains of rice. A rice and lentil dish by…

Lebanese cuisine

Iraqi

Iraqi cuisine

Mujaddara in large quantities: events, offices and communities

How much of everything by number of guests, at a 300 g portion. For trays, catering and community kitchens.

Guests	kg of food	3 kg trays	Cost of ingredients
25	7.5	3	₪60
50	15	5	₪120
100	30	10	₪239
200	60	20	₪479
500	150	50	₪1,197

Every ingredient for any number of guests is in the calculator above: type the number of people.

Order Mujaddara

A ready pot for Shabbat, an event or the office, ordered ahead.

Cooked to order, for Shabbat, an event or the office.
Tell us how many people and when, and we send a quote.
Delivery in Tel Aviv from ₪35, free over ₪750.

Ask for a quote for Mujaddara

Order Mujaddara for a large event

Large orders in Israel and abroad: events, offices, synagogues, communities and institutions.

In Israel: cooked in Tel Aviv and delivered to events in the area, and to large events anywhere in the country on a quote.
Abroad: for communities, events and restaurants. Tell us where, how many and when, and we come back with a quote and options.
Institutional quantities and a shopping list for any number of guests, in the calculator above.

Ask for a large-order quote

Frequently asked questions

What is mujaddara?

A dish of rice or bulgur with lentils, seasoned with cumin and allspice and served under plenty of fried onions. It is a vegetarian and vegan dish from the kitchens of the Levant, Syria, Egypt and Iraq, and the name means pockmarked in Arabic.

What is the difference between rice mujaddara and bulgur mujaddara?

With rice the grains are soft and separate and the taste is gentle; with coarse bulgur the texture is chewy and the taste nuttier. Bulgur mujaddara is common in Galilee and Druze villages, cooked at one cup of bulgur to one and a half cups of liquid, 15 minutes plus a rest.

Which lentils are best for mujaddara?

Brown or green lentils, which hold their shape and taste earthy. Black beluga lentils stay whole and glossy and suit a festive mujaddara. Red lentils fall apart, so keep them for kitchri.

How much onion does mujaddara need?

A lot: about 1 kg of onions for a pot of 8, because frying takes away about three quarters of their weight. A third goes into the pot and two thirds on top.

Can I make mujaddara in one pot?

Yes. Fry the onions in the pot and lift them out. In the same pot cook the lentils in 1.3 litres of water for 15 minutes without draining, add the rinsed rice, spices and salt, and cook covered over low heat for 18 minutes. All the flavour of the onions and lentils stays in the pot.

How much mujaddara do I need for 50 people?

As a side, allow about 180 g cooked per person, so about 9 kg for 50 people: roughly 1.5 kg of rice, 1.1 kg of lentils and about 4 kg of onions. As a main course allow 300 g per person, about 15 kg.

How many calories are in Mujaddara?

A 300 g portion of Mujaddara made with our recipe has about 567 calories and 15.6 g of protein. Per 100 g: 189 calories.

How much does it cost to make Mujaddara at home?

A tray or pot of 8 portions costs about ₪19 at Israeli shelf prices in October 2026, about ₪2.4 a portion. The calculator above works it out for any number of people.

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