Mujadara Recipe with Lentils and Brown Rice

Years ago, on my post-army trip to India back in 2001, I decided to go vegan.

It didn't happen overnight. It was a long shift in how I thought about things, and honestly, I don't remember much of the process. It had been 17 years when I wrote this—cut my memory some slack.

But I do remember wanting to set my ego aside and focus on something positive. Something that would do some good in the world, and that I could put into practice right then and there.

With a whole lot of love for animals and a soft spot for their suffering, I realized veganism was my answer.

Pretty quickly, I cut out meat, dairy, and eggs and became a full-fledged vegan. Simple enough. Right?

Being Vegan in Israel in the Early 2000s

I don't know what you remember about 2001—or whether you were even born yet—let alone what was on grocery store shelves. But I can tell you that almost nobody in Israel had heard of veganism.

You couldn't buy soy milk at the supermarket. No tofu, either, and definitely no seitan.

There was no Facebook, so you couldn't hop online there to ask for recipes or get advice about nutrition.

I felt completely on my own, and pretty much everyone treated me like some spaced-out hippie who hadn't quite come back from India. Hey, being a hippie was in style back then. What did you expect…

I remember asking my mom what I should eat to get enough plant protein. Her answer was simple: "I have a recipe for mujadara (a traditional Arab lentil-and-rice dish)."

And so, in those days, I made a whole lot of mujadara in a succession of peeling-paint kitchens in cheap rental apartments across south Tel Aviv (Israel's coastal city).

I lasted almost a year as a vegan, then went back to eating animal products at the end of summer 2002. Only to come charging back to veganism several years later, in 2011.

Is Mujadara Nutritious?

As someone who cooked countless pots of mujadara in his younger years, I'm sharing a seriously good recipe in honor of those innocent days. Noam Becher (an Israeli nutritionist and fitness instructor) also analyzed its nutritional value:

"A healthy, classic dish that combines amino acids from a variety of plant sources, healthy fats, and plenty of dietary fiber to help you feel full longer."

One serving of mujadara, approximately 100 g (3.5 oz):

290 calories, 23 g carbohydrates, 7.2 g protein, 17 g fat (including 2.5 g saturated fat), 2 mg iron, and 6.5 g dietary fiber.

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Mujadara Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Yield 3 servings

Ingredients

• 1 cup green or brown lentils soaked in plenty of water for at least 4 hours
• 1 cup brown rice basmati or short-grain
• 1 onion medium
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed

Instructions

1. Drain the lentils and transfer them to a deep pot. Add 2 cups fresh water and cook over high heat for about 15 minutes. Drain and set aside.
   
2. Dice the onion and sauté it in a deep pot with the olive oil for about 3–4 minutes, until translucent. Add the turmeric, cumin, and crushed garlic, then cook over low heat for a few more minutes. Keep an eye on the garlic—you don't want it to burn.
3. Add the rice, stir, and cook for another 1–2 minutes.
   
4. Add the lentils to the pot with the rice and stir well.
5. Pour in 2 1/2 cups water, cover the pot, and bring to a boil.
6. Reduce the heat to low and continue cooking for about 25 minutes.
7. Remove from the heat and let the pot rest, covered, for at least 5 minutes before serving. It's worked hard—it deserves a break.