Mujadara Hamra
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Prep Time10 mins.
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Cook Time45 mins.
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Ready In55 mins.
Mujadra Hamra is a vegan dish is perfect for everyone, whether you’re a vegetarian or a meat lover. It’s a nutritious and flavorful blend of brown lentils, bulgur, and caramelized onions that will make your taste buds dance. Lentils, the star of this recipe, bring a bunch of health benefits. Full of B vitamins, folate, iron, and potassium, they provide a nutritious base for Mujadara Hamra. Plus, lentils are quick to cook, making them an easy and affordable source of protein and fiber.
What is Mujadara
Mujadara Hamra is one of the varieties of the classic vegetarian Lebanese dish called “mujadara.” Mujadra is known as an affordable, quick meal. It uses pantry staples like lentils, rice and bulgur. Even the seasonings are very light, typically salt, pepper and sometimes cumin.
The most popular Mujadra is Mujadarat roz which uses rice and is topped with carmalized onions. There is also one made with the orange lentils that is more soupy, known as Mujadara Safra. For Mujadra Hamra, which translates in Arabic to “Red Mujadara”, instead of using rice, we use bulgur wheat. The addition of bulgur makes it a versatile and budget-friendly choice for both main meals and sides.
Deeply Caramelized Onions
What distinguishes this dish from other Mujadara varieties is the deeply caramelized onions. You have to caramelize the onions with olive oil for a minimum of 15 to 20 minutes. The onions are the base of the flavor in this dish. The deep caramelization of them is what gives the color and all the flavor. You don’t want to cook over a high heat as to not burn them too quick. When you think your onions have burned, that’s when you know they are ready.
This dish comes together less than an hour and is incredibly filling. You can serve it with a side salad or some plain yogurt.
What Lentils and Bulgur to Use
For this dish, I use brown lentils however, these lentils are smaller than the lentils I use in the Mujadarat roz recipe. I found them at my local Middle Eastern grocery store. On the bag, often it will say “mini brown lentils.” If you cannot find these, you can most definitely substitute with the regular sized brown lentils. I just prefer this size for this Mujadara Hamra.
As for the bulgur, you want to use a larger size, at least #2 or #3. When buying bulgur, most often there will be a number on the bag, if not, make sure to look for the word “coarse.”
STEP 1
- Add a quarter cup of olive oil over medium heat
- Add your diced onions and cook stirring every couple of minutes.
STEP 2
Once the onions have browned, add a 1/2 cup of water and simmer on low heat for a few more minutes.
The onions will darken in this process even more.
STEP 3
In a pot on the side, add one cup of lentils to 1 ½ cups of water.
Cook over medium high heat until all the water is gone about 10 minutes.
STEP 4
Add the washed bulgur and caramelized onions to the lentils.
Season with salt and black pepper. Add 3 cups of water and let cook over a medium high heat for 10 minutes.
STEP 5
Lower the temperature to low, cover with a lid and let cook for a remaining 15 minutes.
It will be done when you can fluff it with a fork (similar to rice).
Mujadara Hamra
Ingredients
- 1 cup brown lentils (small)
- ¾ cup course #3 bulgur wheat
- 3 onions
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 5 cups water (divided)
- 1½ tsp. salt
- ½ tsp. black pepper
Instructions
- In a skillet, add a quarter cup of olive oil over medium heat. Add your diced onions and cook stirring every couple of minutes. Cook for 15-20 minutes until very deeply browned almost “burned.”
- Once the onions have browned, add a 1/2 cup of water and simmer on low heat for a few more minutes. The onions will darken in this process even more.
- In a pot on the side, add one cup of lentils to 1 ½ cups of water. Cook over medium high heat until all the water is gone about 10 minutes.
- Add the washed bulgur and caramelized onions to the lentils. Season with salt and black pepper. Add 3 cups of water and let cook over a medium high heat for 10 minutes.
- Lower the temperature to low, cover with a lid and let cook for a remaining 15 minutes. It will be done when you can fluff it with a fork (similar to rice). Serve warm, or at room temperature.
Nutrition
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