Mujadara With Roasted Cauliflower

30 mins Prep Time

45 mins Cook Time

Written By

Vicky Tran

Mujadara is a delicious rice dish hailing from the Middle East. It combines sweet jammy onions with protein-dense lentils, white rice, and crispy fried shallots and earthy spices like cumin, coriander and cinnamon. I love using two sturdy lentils but it's not entirely necessary; either black or green lentils will work. The inarguable star of the dish are those deeply fried and caramelized onions which get folded into the rice and then top it off as well -- so push yourself past the tears, it'll be worth it! This recipe also calls upon store-bought and already prepared crispy fried shallots, which are widely available in Asian supermarkets or the Asian aisle of all other supermarkets. It's a small addition to the traditional recipe, but it does a great job providing that missing crunch texture.

Ingredients

Mujadara

8 cups yellow onion, sliced
6 cups water, divided
1 cup soft herbs, chopped (can be any combination of dill, parsley, mint, cilantro)
1 cup white long grain rice, rinsed
1/2 cup black beluga lentils, rinsed
1/2 cup green du Puy lentils, rinsed
1/3 cup crispy fried shallots
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 bay leaves
1 cinnamon stick
Kosher, salt to taste
Black pepper, to taste

Roasted Cauliflower

6 cups cauliflower florets, approximately 2-inch pieces
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste

Directions

Mujadara With Roasted Cauliflower

5 Steps

Step 1

For the roasted cauliflower, toss the cauliflower florets with the olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast in a preheated 375°F oven for 20-30 minutes until softened and golden brown, set aside.
Step 2

In a medium pot combine 4 cups of water with the rinsed black beluga lentils as well as the rinsed green du Puy lentils. Bring to a simmer and allow to cook for 10-15 minutes until softened but still ‘al dente’, strain off and set aside.
Step 3

In a medium pot, heat the olive oil and butter on medium heat. Add in the ground coriander, ground cumin, bay leaves as well as the cinnamon stick and toast for about 1 minute until fragrant. Add in the rinsed long grain rice and continue to toast for another 2 minutes. Add in the par cooked lentils as well as 2 cups of water. Bring to a simmer, cover with a tight fitting lid and cook for 15-20 minutes until the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is cooked. Allow to stand for 5 minutes.
Step 4

While the rice is cooking, prepare the onions: In a large sauté pan, heat the vegetable oil on medium high heat, add in the sliced onions as well as a sprinkle of salt and begin cooking until the onions are softened and deeply browned. Approximately 10-15 minutes. Set aside.
Step 5

To finish: once the rice is cooked, fold in the roasted cauliflower, half of the fried onions as well as half of the soft herbs, mix and adjust seasoning. Transfer to a serving platter top with remaining fried onions, crispy fried shallots and remainder of the herb mixture.

Ingredients

Mujadara

8 cups yellow onion, sliced
6 cups water, divided
1 cup soft herbs, chopped (can be any combination of dill, parsley, mint, cilantro)
1 cup white long grain rice, rinsed
1/2 cup black beluga lentils, rinsed
1/2 cup green du Puy lentils, rinsed
1/3 cup crispy fried shallots
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 bay leaves
1 cinnamon stick
Kosher, salt to taste
Black pepper, to taste