black lentil

The famous lentil and rice dish is versatile and takes well to a number of grain and bean substitutions. Don't skimp on the sizzled spiced onions.

Mejadra

basmati rice

unsalted butter

angel hair pasta,

brown lentils

onions,

cornstarch

extra-virgin olive oil,

Tbsp. cumin

cinnamon

turmeric

pepper

plain whole-milk Greek yogurt

chives (for serving)

Even famous chefs like Yotam Ottolenghi aren’t immune from the unexpected whims of the occasional picky eater (kids!). Luckily, he shares his road-tested blueprint for Mejadra, the popular dish enjoyed around the Arab world—and especially in his home kitchen.
This recipe for Mejadra is great as is, but you can also follow Ottolenghi’s lead and swap the rice and lentils for whatever combination of grains and beans you have on hand. The brown lentils called for here can easily be swapped for green, black, or Le Puy, with the latter taking about 10 minutes longer to cook.

Bon Appétit

Place 1 cup basmati rice in a medium bowl and pour in cold water to cover. Swish rice around with your fingers, then drain in a fine-mesh sieve. Repeat process until water runs clear (3–5 more times). Drain rice well the final time.

Heat 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high. Add 2 oz. angel hair pasta, coarsely broken into 1" pieces (about ¾ cup), and cook, stirring often, until lightly browned, about 90 seconds. Add rice, 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt, and 2 cups water and stir to combine; reserve sieve. Cover pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; cook 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, place ½ cup brown lentils in another medium saucepan and pour in water to cover by about 1"; season with salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and cook until lentils are tender but still hold their shape, 12–15 minutes. Drain in reserved sieve; set aside.

Remove rice mixture from heat and let sit (still covered) 15 minutes.

While the rice mixture is resting, toss 2 medium onions, thinly sliced, and 1½ tsp. cornstarch in a clean medium bowl to coat. Heat ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil in a large nonstick pan over high. Carefully add onions to pan; reserve bowl. Reduce heat to medium-high and cook, stirring often and adjusting heat as needed, until golden brown and crisp in spots, 12–15 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low and add 1 Tbsp. ground cumin, 2 tsp. ground cinnamon, ½ tsp. ground turmeric, and remaining ¼ tsp. Diamond Crystal or Morton kosher salt. Season with freshly ground pepper and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Transfer onions back to reserved bowl.

Fluff rice mixture with a fork. Gently mix in lentils, then onions, reserving a few. Divide mejadra among bowls and spoon 1 cup plain whole-milk Greek yogurt over. Top with reserved onions, then thinly sliced chives; drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil.

This one-pot Urad Dal recipe makes a creamy and comforting bowl of dal. Black lentils are flavored with spices and cooked with an onion and tomato masala in a pressure cooker.

Sabut Urad Dal Recipe

urad dal sabut (whole black lentil)

& ½ tablespoon ghee (or oil

cumin seeds

onion

green chili (or add more to taste)

ginger garlic paste

tomato puree (store bought)

coriander powder

turmeric powder

red chili powder (or more to taste)

salt (or

¼ teaspoon garam masala

butter (optional, to add at the end, preferably Amul butter)

Start by washing and then soaking the urad dal overnight. If you forgot to soak overnight, then I recommend soaking for at least 4 hours. Once soaked, drain the water and rinse the dal and keep it ready.

To a stovetop pressure cooker on medium heat, add ghee (or oil). Once the ghee is hot, add the cumin seeds and let them sizzle. Then add the chopped onion and green chili and sauté for 2 minutes until the onions are soft and translucent.

Then add the ginger garlic paste and cook 1 more minute. Now, add the tomato puree and cook 2 minutes. Add the spices like coriander powder, turmeric, red chili powder along with salt. Cook the spices for 30 seconds.

Now add the soaked and drained dal to the pressure cooker. Stir to combine the dal with the masala. Now add water (around 3 cups) and mix. Close the lid and pressure cook on medium high heat for 10 whistles, then lower the heat to low-medium and cook for another 10 to 15 minutes. In total the dal pressure cooks for around 20 to 25 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally.

Open the lid once the pressure has released and add garam masala and chopped cilantro. Turn on the heat to low-medium and let the dal simmer for 5 minutes. Crush some of the dal with the back of a spatula as it is simmering, this helps in making the dal creamier. Add salt and water as needed at this point.

Serve maa ki dal hot with basmati rice. You may top if with 1/2 tablespoon butter before serving.

For the Instant Pot, everything remains the same (including soaking the dal) except add 2 &amp; 1/2 cups water, make sure to deglaze the pot so there&#39;s nothing stuck at the bottom of the pot before pressure cooking and then pressure cook for 40 minutes on high pressure with the pressure valve in the sealing position. Let the pressure release naturally.40 minutes might seem a lot of time to pressure cook but it is needed if you are looking for that authentic melt-in-mouth consistency of maa ki dal. If you don&#39;t care about that consistency then you can pressure cook it for a lesser amount of time. And don&#39;t forget to simmer it on sauté mode for 5 minutes after it is pressure cooked. That helps bring all the flavors together.

Instant Pot Instructions

Is there a recipe like this without the pressure cooker as I do not have one?

Here’s your answer to the question: “What can I make on Sunday night that will taste great for my 10:30 a.m. desk lunch on Wednesday?” This is precisely the work lunch you always wish you had packed, with lots of lentils to keep you full 'til at least 3 p.m., kale (for health!), salty olives, crunchy nuts, and just the right amount of cheese. 

Lentil Salad

Tuscan kale (about 10 oz.)

Kosher salt

almonds

scallions

garlic

lemon

olive oil

black beluga or French green lentils

Tbsp. cumin seeds

½ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

feta

Castelvetrano olives

Here’s the answer to your question, “What can I make on Sunday night that will taste great for my 10:30 a.m. desk lunch on Wednesday?” This is precisely the work lunch you always wish you had packed, with lots of lentils to keep you full ’til at least 3 p.m., kale (for health!), salty olives, crunchy nuts, and just the right amount of cheese. And it’s all dressed in a lemony, garlicky spiced oil that we’d encourage you to drizzle over ricotta or hummus. Be sure to use black or French green lentils. Brown or red lentils will get too soft—you’ll end up with a stew rather than a salad.

Epicurious

Strip leaves off stems from 1 large bunch Tuscan kale; discard stems or save for later! Stack leaves, then roll into fat cigars. Slice crosswise into ¼" strips to long, thin ribbons. Unfurl ribbons and run your knife through them just once or twice more to shorten any very long strips. Transfer to a large bowl, season with salt, and massage until kale is silkier, softer, and darker in color, 1–2 minutes.

Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil over high heat. While you're waiting, prep the spiced oil. Coarsely chop ½ cup raw almonds; set aside. Trim 3 scallions and separate white and green parts (save the green parts for later in the recipe); thinly slice white parts and transfer to a small skillet. Smash and peel 4 garlic cloves. Add those to same skillet, too. Using a vegetable peeler or paring knife, remove three 3" strips of lemon peel (avoiding white pith); reserve rest of the lemon for your salad dressing. Add peels to skillet. Pour ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil into skillet and stir so that all of the elements are coated in oil.

Add 1½ cups black beluga or French green lentils to now-boiling water, reduce heat to medium, and simmer, uncovered, until lentils are tender but still al dente, 20–25 minutes (they'll turn mushy if overcooked). We love to cook lentils like pasta—that is, in an abundant amount of salted water—so that we can monitor their doneness as they cook and make sure they don't get too soft.

While lentils cook, heat skillet with scallion mixture over medium. Cook, stirring occasionally, until garlic starts to brown and lemon peel starts to curl, about 3 minutes. Add almonds and cook, stirring frequently, until almonds are browned, about 3 more minutes. Remove from heat and stir in 1 Tbsp. cumin seeds and ½ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes—the residual heat from the oil will bloom those spices and bring out their flavors.

Strain mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a small bowl, shaking to help oil drain; reserve oil (that's the base of your salad dressing). Spread almond mixture (don't forget those cumin seeds!) on a paper towel-lined plate or baking sheet. Season with salt and let cool (the nuts will get crunchier as they sit).

Crumble 5 oz. feta into bowl with kale. Smash 1 cup Castelvetrano olives with the back of your knife; remove pits. Tear olives into large pieces and add to bowl. Thinly slice reserved scallion greens and add most to bowl (save some for serving). Add juice of reserved lemon and ½ tsp. salt.

Drain lentils well, shaking to get rid of excess moisture, and add to bowl with kale; season with salt. Add infused oil and half of nuts and toss to combine.

Divide salad among bowls. Garnish with remaining nuts and scallion greens. (If you’re taking this to work, just throw all of the scallions and nuts in at once—or bring them to work in separate containers and be that person garnishing your desk salad. You're worth it.) Eat around the lemon peels and garlic slices, which are edible but intense.

These satisfying bowls are heaped with silky greens, spicy lentils, jammy eggs and salty feta. The fact that all of the components are cooked in the same pot and can be refrigerated for the week is nice, too. The greens are cooked like horta, a Greek dish of boiled wild greens often finished with olive oil and lemon. Using a mix of spinach and bitter greens, like kale or mustard greens, creates a juicy and bittersweet combination. The lentils, dressed with oregano and crushed red pepper, provide a tender base for the toppings, but grains would work, too. And feel free to embellish further with sliced raw fennel or carrots, toasted nuts or a dollop of cottage cheese.

Spinach and Feta Lentil Bowls

Salt

bitter greens,

eggs

lentils

dried oregano,

red pepper,

lemon, halved

NYT Cooking

https://static01.nyt.com/images/2025/03/28/multimedia/28FD-EASYLUNCHREX1-kpzg/28FD-EASYLUNCHREX1-kpzg-videoSixteenByNineJumbo1600.jpg

Mark Weinberg for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Michelle Gatton.

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Bring a very large pot of salted water to a boil. (The water should taste salty.) Add the bitter greens and eggs and boil for 4 minutes, then add the spinach. Continue to cook until the greens are softened and dark green, 2 more minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the greens and eggs to a fine-mesh sieve to cool and drain; reserve the boiling water.

To the boiling water, add the lentils. Reduce heat and simmer until tender but not mushy, 10 to 20 minutes. When the lentils are just about done, transfer the eggs to a cutting board. Squeeze and press the greens to remove excess water, then transfer them to a bowl and set aside.

Drain the lentils in the fine-mesh sieve. Rinse the lentils under cold water and shake to dry. Right in the sieve, stir the oregano and crushed red pepper into the lentils; add more salt and crushed red pepper until the lentils are punchy.

Add the olive oil to the greens and stir to combine. Squeeze half the lemon over the greens and stir to combine. Season to taste with salt. Quarter the remaining lemon half for serving and slice or crumble the feta. If eating right away, peel the eggs.

Divide the lentils, greens, feta, eggs and lemon wedges among 4 bowls or airtight containers. Drizzle with oil, oregano and crushed red pepper. Serve immediately, or refrigerate in airtight containers for up to 4 days.

Delicious! I personally added a good deal more olive oil than called for and it worked well. I made it a second time and realized I forgot to buy a lemon, but balsamic worked great as a substitute. Added some kalamata olives for fun too. 

Only other thing I'd recommend is pulling out the eggs from the mass of greens, otherwise they'll keep cooking. If you really want that jammy egg interior with an easy peel, throw them in some cold water right from the boil.

This makes for a nice work lunch. I substituted ground cayenne pepper for the crushed red pepper, and added some portobello mushrooms sautéed in harissa seasoning and some avocado as well.

This was good but a little bland. I added some toasted almonds which helped but next time I’ll add some chopped preserved lemon to the greens and maybe add a drizzle of tahini with lemon juice or caramelized onions.

Ali does it again!   I followed the recipe with a few adaptations due to my pantry.  My horseradish leaves are crowding the garden so they were used for the bitter greens.   I didn’t have any oregano so I used herbs de Provence and added lemon zest to the oil and seasonings that top the dish after assembly.   

My husband and I are always amazed by her recipes and this is a keeper!

Despite the effort by the author to minimize mess, I found that I still used a lot of bowls and trays.  But I didn’t care… fairly easy to clean up.  I wanted to cook eggs separately because I used baby kale and baby spinach, so was uncertain about timing.  I did cook the (black) lentils in the veggie water.  I used my own dried oregano which is kind of strong - I used about 1/2 tsp. I think.   Regardless, I recommend to start small and add according to taste.  I also added some roasted cherry tomatoes per another reviewer’s recommendation - very good idea.  The sweetness of the tomatoes really added another layer.  Also used the other 1/2 lemon on the lentils rather than for serving. Definitely a dish that can be played with in terms of veggies etc.

Yes, this is a delicious combination of greens, lentils, eggs, and feta in a bowl, but I wish we had just gotten two or three pots dirty to cook the greens and lentils simultaneously and cut our cook time in half.

This was good and would have been super easy if I’d had a larger pot on hand.  To level this up I added broiled cherry tomatoes coated in EVOO and Italian seasoning (yes!!).  I also needed a bit more protein so baked up some quick tofu marinaded with a 1/2cup soy sauce, juice of two lemons, 2 teaspoons olive oil, and a pinch of garlic powder. My kids used the same marinade to grill some chicken.  Will make again as the component pieces are also great for use in all kinds of dishes the next day!

I *love* this recipe! Divided it so now I have lunch for the week figured out - yeah! I used escarole (first time ever), dino kale, and baby spinach--turned out great. For lentils, used beluga (black) lentils, which worked perfectly - BUT - using 1/5 cups was way too many, even with generous helpings of lentils in the bowls. (That being said, they won't go to waste!). I typically don't like lots of spice, but added quite a bit of red pepper to the lentils. Will definitely make this again-lots!

Delicious and comes together fairly quickly. Great way to use up a lot of greens! I used chard, radish greens and spinach. Used grilled halloumi instead of feta due to preference. Recipe made way too many lentils; 1/2 c. would have been sufficient. Next time less oregano and red pepper. Jammy eggs were delightful- transfer to ice bath after cooking. Would be much easier with a basket insert!

I enjoyed this but it was slightly bland and could benefit from a crunchy or crispy component. Grilled bread sounds ideal, but I don’t know, maybe crispy garlic? Sunflower seeds? I will probably double the lemon for my leftovers. I used a pound of frozen mustard greens and 10 oz of frozen spinach, and after squeezing the water out, it wasn’t too much. I like the avocado suggestion too.

Came here looking for a healthy meal that was also tasty and did not find it. The cooking directions produce a product that is luke warm, which is not good in my opinion. The spices fall short of making it taste interesting. For people who do not eat lentils or vegetarian often, this isn’t the place to start.

Enjoyable dish, but I’d suggest a few tweaks. Next time I cook this I plan to boil the kale in water with significantly less salt. The first time around the combination of the high level of salt   the acidity of the lemon was very aggressive—with less salt and a healthy squeeze of lemon the dish would provide good flavor with a fresher finish.

Eating this as my lunch at this very moment! Needed something new. Any doubts I may have had disappeared with the first bites, especially with a few dabs of a delicious Calabrian chili sauce I recently picked up. I like the idea of adding some sweet potatoes (I prefer the white-fleshed Japanese kind)— next time. 
Some questions people had:
- yes, you’re boiling the eggs whole. I peel them daily before I pack my lunch. 
- I’m enjoying it at room temp, but I’m not fussy about that. I just put a hunk of feta in each  lunch container and am crumbling it as I go. 
- no idea why we’re supposed to add the tarragon and salt while the lentils are still in the sieve. Mine wasn’t big enough so I didn’t do this. 
- used French green lentils— easy peasy. Much more delicious than canned brown lentils. But I did use bags of Trader Joe’s greens, which I usually avoid. Good time saver in this case— otherwise all that washing and spinning and chopping.

This works well to make ahead and eat for lunch chilled. I added some roasted sweet potatoes and charred broccoli to make it more of a full meal. I peeled and sliced the eggs the day I cooked them and put on top of the greens. I add feta the day of. They are fine for a few days in the fridge.

@Stephanie k when you make it, add the feta at the table. That way, the leftovers don’t have the cheese, which makes reheating hard. To reheat, I recommend either putting the spinach and lentils into the microwave or into a covered pot on very low. Stirring it will turn the lentils into paste. You can also steam it back to life, but that might be aggressive for the spinach.

Very yummy!

Does anyone know why we rinse the lentils under cold water?  We found the dish more delicious when we warmed it up.

Also, what is the rationale for adding the oregano and red pepper while the lentils were in the sieve?  I’m just asking out of curiosity.

We really enjoyed it and will make it again- two adults ate the full batch.

Delicious, healthy and easy to make.  If you can find them, use French (Puy) or Black lentils, which will not turn to mush.

Excellent! I subbed vegan feta (recommend Violife) and to make the dish dairy-free, and it was great. Added some halved cherry tomatoes with olive oil and seasoning on the side. Yum!

This was serviceable, but incredibly boring, and not at all "punchy." Next time I'm going to try and make an actual dressing with olive oil, lemon juice, cumin, and lemon zest or something along those lines and dress the lentils (similar to BA's kale and lentil salad).

So would you recommend peeling each egg the day you plan to take it for lunch? Thanks!

@Lisa: The egg instructions aren't very clear! Step 4 says that we will peel them, which means that they are boiled in Step 1. And based on the photo, the eggs are cut in half when serving.

I love this recipe! I went to a local farm store to get fresh greens just for this dish.  The cooking instructions are perfect and easy to follow.  I didn't use a lot of water though, just enough to cover the eggs and then steamed the greens. Perfect meal and leftovers for tomorrow.

This has no business being this good for being so simple. I use Indian black lentils (urad dal) which are different than the black lentils that I think are being used here. They're earthy and chewy, and I prefer them to the other kind, but you do need a pressure cooker to cook them, otherwise they take several hours.

I’ve never thought of kale as a “bitter” green. It’s hearty and cruciferous, but it’s not bitter. Mustard, escarole, and dandelion are all bitter.

I used the trader joe's canned lentils and added lemon and crushed red pepper for a shortcut...it was fantastic. So quick, filling, easy and flavorful. This will be a go-to for me!

We would sauté the greens next time with garlic and onion.

@Debbie
Agreed.  First thing I thought when I read “bitter” was that I would use dandelion greens not kale.

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Mejadra

Sabut Urad Dal Recipe

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Top 4 black lentil recipes from across the web

The most viewed black lentil recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Mejadra

Sabut Urad Dal Recipe

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The most viewed black lentil recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine