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Home Bean and Lentil Recipes

Middle Eastern Spiced Lentil and Rice (Mejadra)

By:Nagi
Published:23 Jan '17Updated:15 Sep '21
177 Comments
Recipe v Dozer v

Mejadra is a fragrant Middle Eastern rice pilaf that is SO GOOD you can – and will want to – eat it on its own!

Mejadra - A aromatic Middle Eastern Rice and Lentil Pilaf. A recipe by Yotam Ottolenghi. recipetineats.com

Mejadra is an ancient dish that is hugely popular throughout the Arab world. It’s a fragrant aromatic spiced rice (but not spicy) combined with sweet crunchy onion. You make your own fried onion in the authentic version, and it’s worth the effort when you have time on your hands. But if you don’t have time, a near perfect substitute is store bought crunchy Fried Shallots which nowadays you can purchase from the Asian section of most grocery stores. I really think it tastes almost as good!

Mejadra - A aromatic Middle Eastern Rice and Lentil Pilaf. A recipe by Yotam Ottolenghi. recipetineats.com

Because this rice has such a wonderful flavour in itself, you can make a complete meal by serving just a simple piece of grilled fish or other protein, or even vegetables on the side. A dollop of yoghurt, a sprinkle of herbs and dinner is served!

Enjoy! – Nagi x

PS I served Mejadra on the side of Chicken Shawarma which I also published today. A beautiful pairing of flavours!

The flavour of this Chicken Shawarma marinade is absolutely incredible, yet made with just a handful of everyday spices. recipetineats.com

Mejadra - A aromatic Middle Eastern Rice and Lentil Pilaf. A recipe by Yotam Ottolenghi. recipetineats.com

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Mejadra - A aromatic Middle Eastern Rice and Lentil Pilaf. A recipe by Yotam Ottolenghi. recipetineats.com

Middle Eastern Rice (Mejadra)

Author: Nagi
Prep: 5 minutes mins
Cook: 15 minutes mins
Total: 20 minutes mins
Pilaf, Rice
Arabic, Middle Eastern
4.94 from 48 votes
Servings4
Tap or hover to scale
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Mejadra is a fragrant Middle Eastern rice pilaf with crunchy fried onion throughout it. This is slightly adapted from a Yotam Ottolenghi recipe, from his wonderful cookbook Jerusalem. The main difference is that he uses dried lentils, I use canned. If you don't have time or don't want to deep fry, substitute the fried onions with Asian fried shallots, available from Asian stores and the Asian section of major supermarkets in Australia (Coles, Woolies). The taste is remarkably similar!

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tsp cumin seeds (or 1 tsp ground cumin)
  • 1 1/2 tbsp coriander seeds (or 1 1/2 tsp ground coriander)
  • 1 cup basmati or long grain rice , uncooked
  • 1 1/4 cup / 315 ml water (see notes)
  • 400g / 14 oz canned brown lentils, drained (1 can) , drained
  • 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
  • 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1 tsp salt
  • Black pepper

Crispy Fried Onions (Note 2)

  • 3 large or 4 small onions , very finely sliced
  • 1 cup / 250 ml vegetable or sunflower oil
  • Salt

Instructions

Crispy Onions

  • Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium high heat. Add about 1/3 of the onions and cook for 5 minutes until golden and crispy. Drain on paper towels.
  • Repeat with remaining onions, in two batches.

Rice

  • Put the olive oil, cumin seeds and coriander in a saucepan over medium heat.
  • Cook for a couple of minutes until the spices are fragrant.
  • Add the rice and stir to coat with the oil and spices.
  • Add the water and lentils.
  • While it comes to boil, add all the other spices, salt and pepper.
  • When it comes to a boil, turn it down to medium-low, cover with lid and let cook for 10 to 12 minutes, or until all the liquid has mostly been absorbed.
  • Remove from heat and let it rest for 10 minutes - during this time, any residual liquid will absorb.
  • Fluff rice with a fork and adjust the seasoning with more salt if you wish.
  • Just prior to serving, stir through most of the onions and top with remainder. Sprinkle with chopped coriander if desired. Best served warm.

Recipe Notes:

1. Different rices and brands require different ratios of rice to water. Typically for long grain and basmati rice it is 1 cup of rice to 1 1/2 cups of water, but you should check the package instructions. Whatever the water quantity is, reduce it by 1/4 cup. This is because this recipe uses canned lentils which, although you drain it, adds to the liquid while cooking. If you do not reduce the quantity of water, the rice turns out wetter than it should.
2. ALTERNATIVE: Use fried shallots / onions sold in jars in the Asian section of the supermarket. They are crunchy, salty and oily, so they serve the same purpose and taste the same. This is what I usually use. They are addictive!
3. WHOLE VS GROUND SPICES: The Yotam recipe uses cumin and coriander seeds which soften when cooked, but the coriander is still a little bit firm (but soft firm). This added texture is the way the recipe is intended to be BUT if you prefer not to have the seeds in it, feel free to use ground, I've provided the quantities in the recipe. 🙂
Did you make this recipe?I love hearing how you went with my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @recipe_tin.

Originally published May 2014, republished with fresh new photos in January 2017.


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177 Comments

  1. Aline says

    December 6, 2023 at 4:25 pm

    5 stars
    This recipe is great, love that you adapted it from Ottolenghi, making it even easier to make 🙂

    Reply
  2. Poppy says

    October 1, 2023 at 12:41 pm

    5 stars
    I love this! Sometimes I eat it for breakfast and dinner! Amazing recipe.

    Reply
  3. Bev says

    August 25, 2023 at 7:10 am

    I was wondering if I could cook this in my rice cooker?

    Reply
    • Colleen says

      October 2, 2023 at 12:42 am

      5 stars
      @Bev
      A bit late seeing your query, but I’ve only ever made it in our rice cooker, and it is divine

      Reply
  4. Carla says

    July 28, 2023 at 10:18 pm

    Can i make this Middle Eastern Rice recipe in my rice cooker?

    Reply
  5. Mary clare says

    April 13, 2023 at 8:53 pm

    Yum yum yum did this for guests with the chicken, flat breads. Selection of dips and hummus and also a feta tomato toboulli salad.. many wows from satisfied guests… you did it again! Thanks !!

    Reply
  6. Maria says

    January 14, 2023 at 9:26 pm

    5 stars
    This dish is unbelievable, I made it with with the Arabian feast for my family (2 of them are chefs) and they were blown away! The smell in the kitchen was enough to entice anyone😍😍

    Reply
  7. Mick says

    September 9, 2022 at 4:24 am

    Could you fry onions in olive oil ? Or does it have to be veg or sunflower ?

    Reply
  8. Hazel says

    June 25, 2022 at 4:31 am

    5 stars
    I don’t often leave reviews but I had to for this and the schwarma recipe. Made these for tea tonight. They are both so amazing. Already looking forward to this cold for my packed lunch tomorrow. Absolutely perfect as is. Thank you

    Reply
  9. Fatima says

    May 27, 2022 at 5:32 pm

    If I use raw lentils, should I cook them first or cook with the rice and not decrease the water?

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      May 28, 2022 at 11:59 am

      You should cook them first Fatima! Enjoy! N x

      Reply
  10. Mags says

    April 27, 2022 at 8:48 am

    Made this last night and it was a hit. I am adding it to my list of regulars. I served it with Chicken Shawarma. It’s gotten to the point that this is the only recipe site I truely trust. Nagi rocks.

    Reply
    • Lauren says

      June 9, 2022 at 1:38 pm

      I feel the same! This site has become my absolute go-to. Every single thing I have cooked from here has been easy and delicious.

      Reply
    • Nagi says

      April 27, 2022 at 2:11 pm

      Awwww! Thanks Mags! I’m glad you liked it!! N x

      Reply
  11. Victoria says

    April 7, 2022 at 12:39 pm

    5 stars
    It was delicious! I added some extra salt and ginger to give it some added savor but it was a hit and so easy to make!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      April 7, 2022 at 1:35 pm

      Fantastic Victoria!! I am happy you liked it! N x

      Reply
  12. Leah says

    March 16, 2022 at 8:40 am

    Hi Leah,

    Could you use tinned green lentils (can’t find brown anywhere)? and could you use already friend onions instead of frying your own?

    Thanks!

    Reply
  13. Leah says

    March 16, 2022 at 12:46 am

    If I can’t find tinned brown lentils, Can I replace with green?

    Thanks!

    Reply
  14. Imad Matar says

    March 11, 2022 at 8:22 pm

    Please need to be more accurate when giving names and regions of certain food, Mejadra is not a Middle eastern plate it’s a very typical Lebanese plate, it’s like saying tacos is Hispanic food instead of Mexican food
    Please specify rather than generalize because that’s misleading

    Reply
    • Ali says

      January 23, 2023 at 7:09 am

      5 stars
      Lebanon is in fact one of the middle eastern countries. Google ‘what are the Middle Eastern countries?’. This recipe is made in most of the Middle Eastern countries so I don’t think the recipe is misleading at all.

      Reply
    • Ayah says

      March 17, 2022 at 4:55 pm

      It’s Levant food you could say. I have lived in Jordan and it’s a popular dish there as well as in Palestinian cooking. Don’t limit the dish to just one country.

      Reply
  15. Mindy says

    February 28, 2022 at 11:21 am

    5 stars
    Thanks so much for this incredible website! I orginally found it when I was looking for Carnitas. I LOVE cooking and I’ve upped my game thanks to you Naji! (My husband says I should open a restaurant!) Last night I made the Chicken Shwarma with this Mejadra. BEYOND delish! I went for it and made the complete meal with the fried onions – even though I NEVER eat fried anything (or made anything fried)! It was worth it! And I guess I can make an exception every once in a while (I’m very careful about eating very cleanly – pastured meats, no dairy, no refined sugar…). So it’s hard for me to eat out because I end up feeling terrible. I did not feel terrible after eating this meal (and leftovers for lunch). So bringing the world into my kitchen is a blessing! (We even buy pastured pork by the 1/2 hog!) I did make my own lentils in my instant pot and followed the recipe using basmati rice. I had the whole spices on hand (and ground ones too) but I do feel the whole spices adds a whole new level of YUM!

    Reply
  16. Hannah says

    February 22, 2022 at 10:18 am

    Another hit from your wonderful site! Everyone in my family went back for seconds. I just want to thank you for your excellent collection of recipes. I’ve spent a good chunk of the pandemic trying all kinds of meals from your collection and they’ve all tasted great. 🙂

    Reply
  17. Suzie DeAngelis says

    February 15, 2022 at 11:01 am

    What could I use as a substitute for the canned lentils? I can’t find them.

    Reply
  18. Marcia hughes says

    January 20, 2022 at 4:39 am

    Ove every thing ..how cN you go back to American food ..blah

    Reply
  19. Joseph says

    January 19, 2022 at 10:20 pm

    5 stars
    did not have lentils, substituted with bamboo beans. came out perfect

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      January 20, 2022 at 9:35 pm

      Great tip Joseph! N x

      Reply
  20. Chrissy says

    January 19, 2022 at 12:12 pm

    5 stars
    East to cook, packs a tastebud punch. Will become a staple.

    Reply
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Hi, I'm Nagi!

I believe you can make great food with everyday ingredients even if you’re short on time and cost conscious. You just need to cook clever and get creative! Read More

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