Mujadara with Bulgur
Mujadara with Bulgur
Some people tend to think about mujadara as stricktly one type though there are tremendous ways of making mujadara/ mujaddara. Literally, there is a family of mujadara in Lebanon. Mujadara safra, mujadara hamra, mujadara makhbousa, mujadara with rice, mujadara with bulgur, etc…. I would literally smell my childhood in these dishes – at least once a week one type of mujadara had been on our family lunch table. Though I wasn’t a fan of any type back then, but now mujadara is comfort food at its best; I can eat any type of it every day without being bored!
A frugal meal suitable also for vegetarians and vegans and regarded as poor man’s food, entirely made from your pantry, filling and most importantly delicious and nutritious. Serve it with fattoush, Middle Eastern salad or even some plain yogurt on the side! And I tell you, it is a meal fit for a king!!
Today’s post is about mujadara with bulgur. Eventually, at our house, there are two types of mujadara with bulgur that we eat on regular basis! “Mujadara with bulgur” and “mujadara hamra”! Both feature bulgur and lentils, and in both onions are typically caramelized; so you may be probably asking yourself what is the difference between both? Here is a detailed post about Mujadara Hamra in case you are interested to learn about it!!
Now back to today’s post “mujadara with bulgur”
Mujadara with bulgur is an aromatic bulgur and lentil pilaf garnished with caramelized onions. The garnish here is far more than just decorating a plate, but will add an incredible depth of flavor to the humble lentil-bulgur pilaf! Those beautiful crispy onions will bring out a sweet flavor and will fill your kitchen with a mouth-watering aroma – the wonderful smell will invade your neighbor’s kitchen and will attract them to your front door, and they taste as good as they smell!
When he was young, my son Ali had a weakness to caramelized onions, he used to pick them off the top of the plate and eat them as chips, so I had to make all the time a double batch – so crispy and comforting.
Caramelizing onions may be tricky to make for many people but once you get this down, you will be putting them on merely everything! The secret behind the crispiness is to use red onions and to slice them super thin; great tips that has been given to me by my cherished mom – she had been and still a very skilled cook and I didn’t know how valuable those hints were until I got out into the real world of cooking!
How to caramelize onions?
- In a wide skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the sliced onions and cook about 10 minutes, stirring all the time until onions start wilting. Reduce heat to low and continue to cook and scrape until the onions are rich brown in color. You need to remove them before they get burnt brown. Use a slotted spoon or tongs to take the onions out of oil. (You will later top the dish with those onions you caramelized).
- Lentils are a powerhouse of nutritiens! They are rich in dietary fiber, protein and folate; bulgur too has too many health benefits, a grain that is extremely high in fiber and protein.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup brown or green lentils, preferably the brown, but both work
- ¾ cup coarse bulgur
- 1/3 cup canola oil
- 1 small onion, finely chopped, to cook together with the lentils and bulgur
- 3 large red onions, julienne, to caramelize
- A dash of cumin powder, optional
- 3 cups water
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
Directions:
- Visually sort the lentils. Wash and drain and place in a pot. Add 3 cups of water and bring to boil; cover and let it simmer over very low heat for 20 minutes or until lentils are soft.
- Transfer the lentils to a colander and save the excess liquid.
- To caramelize the onions: In a wide skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the sliced onions and cook about 10 minutes, stirring all the time. At this stage onions start wilting. Reduce heat to low and continue to cook and scrape until the onions are rich brown and crispy. You need to remove them before they get burnt brown. Use a slotted spoon or tongs to take the onions out of oil. (You will later top the dish with those onions you caramelized).
- Transfer the oil in the skillet to a stockpot; add the chopped onion to the stockpot and sauté to a light brown color.
- Stir in the lentils, bulgur and 11/2 cups of the lentil broth (you saved before), salt and cumin powder and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover up and simmer for 25 minutes, allowing the bulgur to cook and the flavors develop together.
- Transfer to a serving dish and garnish with the caramelized onions. Serve with fattoush or Middle Eastern salad. Enjoy!!
- I adore the very simple dressing of lemon juice, olive oil, pomgrenate molasses and sumac coming from the Middle Eastern salad or Fatoush , these salads go enticingly so well with all types of pilafs, mujadaras, including mujadara with bulgur. Serve them together and you will have a certifiably decent meal!!
- Or simply serve the mujadara with bulgur with some plain or Greek yogurt.
Here are some great mujadara recipes worth making, some are online while others are in my cookbook!!
3- Mujadara with rice and this has another name (Moudardara): The recipe in the book, Hadia, Lebanese Style Recipe page 139
4- Mujadara Safra/ Split Lentils with Rice: The recipe in my cookbook, Hadia, Lebanese Style Recipes. Page 140
Simplicity at its best!! Mujadara with bulgur.
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Instructions
No Steps Found !
- Course : bulgur, MAIN DISHES
- Recipe Type : LEBANESE RECIPES, MAIN DISHES, MAIN DISHES, RECIPES FROM AROUND THE WORD
17 Responses to Mujadara with Bulgur
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About Chef
Hadia Zebib
I am Hadia, the face behind Hadia’s Lebanese Cuisine. I grew up in Beirut Lebanon and I currently reside in Kinshasa, Congo with my husband and my three adorable sons, ...
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this recipe sounds amazing. I share the same affinity for the onions that your son does!! 🙂
Thank you Diane, agreed the caramelized onions take the dish to another level! Xo xo!
I love bulgur and can’t wait to try this beautiful dish! I’ve never made a Mujadara and this looks like the perfect recipe to start with!
Thank you Julie, bulgur is my very favorite carb!! I hope you enjoy it as much as we do! Xo xo!
Sounds amazing. Love the caramelized onions.
Thank you Christine, really this is so good! Xo xo!
I could sit down at that table and eat everything on it! Looks absolutely delicious!!! Beautiful!
Thank you Lynn, indeed this is really so tasty. Xo xo!
I just made this dish, it turned out delicious, thank you.
That’s great to hear Rozan, thank you for the feedback. Xo xo!
Hi Hadia, honestly, you are the best. Just made your mujadara and turned out phenomenal. Your tips about caramelizing onions are great. Thank you.
Thank you for this. A perfect recipe
Happy to know you liked Sean, thank you for the feedback. Xo xo!
Such a delicious meal! My husband and I cooked this last night, paired it with a simple tomato cucumber salad, and we were both blown away by the flavor! Sooooo satisfying and yet so simple! Can’t wait to have it again
Hi Angie. So thrilled you tried and liked the bulgur mujadara. Thank you for the feedback. Xoxo