Mujaddara (Naturally Vegan — Lentils and Rice)

Mujaddara — spiced lentils cooked with rice and finished with deeply caramelised onions — is the ancient comfort food of the Levant, mentioned in the Bible and eaten across Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Jordan, and Egypt for millennia. It is naturally vegan, requiring nothing but lentils, rice, olive oil, and onions. The preparation is straightforward but the quality is entirely in the execution of two things: the spice blend in the cooking liquid, and the onions. The onions are the keystone — sliced thinly and fried in olive oil for 30–40 minutes until they are deeply brown, sticky, sweet, and fragrant. These caramelised onions are stirred into the lentil-rice mixture and mounded over the top as the finishing element. Without them, mujaddara is a humble legume-grain combination; with them, it is a dish of extraordinary depth. The Lebanese yoghurt accompaniment is traditional and optional — for strict vegan preparation, it's simply omitted.