Mujadarra — that humble but fragrantly luxurious Middle Eastern dish of lentils, rice, and caramelized onions — has been a favorite meal of mine since I first started cooking. But Rawaan Alkhatib’s recipe introduced me to many new tricks, first of which is to use bulgur for the grain. It plumps up without any finicky supervision, and also adds toasty, wheaty welcome flavor.
And given that this recipe appears in Rawaan’s new cookbook titled Hot Date!, there is also an ample serving of dates mixed in. They introduce tender pockets of sweetness, a gorgeous contrast to the earthy lentils, pronounced cumin flavor, and those sweet, slippery, caramelize onions. And finally there’s arugula, for a jolt of peppery freshness that I absolutely love.
Suffice it to say, this is a recipe I’ll be craving often. Don’t miss my Q&A with Rawaan, and be sure to check out her book!
Bulgur Mujadarra
From Rawaan: “Mujadarra is big comfort food in our house — a hearty rustic tangle of caramelized onion, earthy lentils, bright lemon juice, and smoky cumin-scented rice or bulgur. The ingredients are humble, but the end result is complex and deeply soothing. I’ve added a couple of nontraditional ingredients to reflect the way we like to eat it — with sweet pops of date to complement the onions and a full-fisted quantity of arugula — which also turns it into a complete meal. The quantities given here make a ton, but leftovers reheat well for several days. Use the lentil water to cook the bulgur; this ensures your cumin works twice as hard and lends the starchy goodness of the lentil-enriched broth to the finished dish. And if you own a pair of swim goggles, consider wearing them while you chop the onions: You will look ridiculous, but at least you won’t be weeping. Serve the finished dish drizzled with generous quantities of olive oil to bring everything together.”
This makes a substantial amount of mujadarra. You won’t be unhappy to have leftovers, but it would halve easily, too.
I loved it warm and also at room temperature, and one argument for serving it at room temperature is that the flavors continue to develop over time. If you don’t intend to eat it all at once, add the arugula just to serve, leaving it out of the packed leftovers.
I made it using water instead of stock, and didn’t find it to be lacking.
I admit I was skeptical, but I loved the salady vibe in adding lemon juice and more olive oil at the end! Decadence and zing. It reframed the dish as something of a grain salad in my mind. I can also imagine topping a serving with a fried egg or a big spoonful of salted yogurt.
Excerpted with permission from Hot Date: Sweet & Savory Recipes Celebrating
the Date, From Party Food to Everyday Feasts by Rawaan Alkhatib, © 2025. Published by Chronicle Books.
Makes: 4 generous servings | Prep & cook time: About 75 min
¾ cup olive oil for cooking, plus a big glug for drizzling
5 medium onions, halved and cut into ¼ in [6 mm] moons
3 cups broth or water
2 cups brown lentils, picked over and rinsed
2 tablespoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more to taste
2 cups fine bulgur
Juice of 2 lemons
8 large or 12 small dates, pitted and roughly chopped
3 to 4 big handfuls baby arugula or other tender greens
Flaky salt, for serving
Freshly ground black pepper, for serving
1. In a large, deep skillet over medium heat, warm ¾ cup [180 ml] of olive oil until hot and shiny. Gently tip in the onions and stir to coat them in the oil. Increase the heat to
medium-high and cook, stirring frequently, for about 20 minutes, or until the onions are tender, floppy, and yielding—they should be deeply golden brown but not completely caramelized. Remove from the heat and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, in a large pot with a tight-fitting lid (you’ll need it later), combine the broth or water, lentils, and cumin. Add the salt, but use less if your broth is salty. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer, adding more water if needed, until the lentils are tender but not mushy, 15 to 30 minutes depending on your lentils. Drain the lentils and return them to the pot, reserving the cumin-scented lentil water. Measure this water. If you don’t have 4 cups [945 ml], add broth or water to make up the difference.
3. Add the bulgur, along with the 4 cups [945 ml] of lentil water, to the lentils in the pot and bring to a boil. Continue boiling for 3 minutes, then remove from the heat, cover, and let stand until the bulgur is completely hydrated and tender and the lentils are soft, 15 to 20 minutes. The liquid should be completely absorbed at this point; if it isn’t, turn the heat back on low and stir gently until it is. Taste and season with salt.
4. In a very large salad bowl, toss the lentils and bulgur with the cooked onions, lemon juice, the big glug of finishing olive oil, the dates, and the arugula. Get everything evenly distributed, then taste and finesse with flaky salt, pepper, and more olive oil if needed. Serve hot or at room temperature. Leftovers will keep, in an airtight container in the refrigerator, for a couple of days, and up to a week if you leave the arugula out and only add before you want to eat.
Dates are an interesting touch! I use farro which works great. I put both together in a pot because they have similar cooking times.
Did you use fine bulgur? If so, do you have a brand you recommend and where to get it? Thanks so much.