Lebanese · Main
Brown lentils and bulgur colored by deeply caramelized onion.
AI-generated editorial illustration—not a Gastromica test-batch photograph.
Mujaddara hamra from southern Lebanon gets its warm brown-red color from onions cooked well past gold. Lentils and coarse bulgur absorb that sweet-savory base.
Technique notes
Recipe status
A named independent cook or chef has published a prepared version of this dish, and that verification is credited below. It verifies their version—not Gastromica’s exact quantities, timing or method. Measured search evidence, exact-recipe testing and final JB approval remain separate gates.
How the new system works →Evidence behind this edition
Reviewed August 2, 2026. Research sources inform this edition. Any external cook verification is separately named, linked and limited to the independently prepared version described in that source.
Pulse plus coarse bulgur; Deeply browned onion
Declared allergens: wheat
Refrigerate for up to 4 days or freeze for 2 months. This is within USDA's general 3–4-day cooked-leftover ceiling where applicable; refrigerate promptly in shallow covered containers.
Contains wheat gluten. Watch onions closely near the end so they turn dark without burning. Verify packaged stock, spice blends, bread and substitutes for declared allergens/cross-contact.
Hadia Zebib is credited with preparing and publishing an independent version of this dish in Mujadara Hamra for Hadia’s Lebanese Cuisine.
What this supports: dish identity, method, texture/doneness, failure cue, serving result.
Verifies an independently prepared version of the dish, not Gastromica’s exact recipe. Zebib's Southern Lebanese version uses her own onion-caramelization method and proportions.
Lebanese kitchen
Lebanese mujaddara hamra combines lentils, coarse bulgur and dark caramelized onions in a naturally vegan meal.
Cook onions in olive oil over medium-low for 30–35 minutes until deep mahogany; remove one-third for garnish.
Add lentils and water to the pot. Simmer 18 minutes until lentils are partly tender.
Stir in bulgur, salt, pepper and cumin. Cover and simmer on low 12 minutes.
Remove from heat and rest covered 15 minutes. Fluff and top with reserved onions.
Review ingredient labels for allergens and cross-contact. Follow the recipe’s handling notes, refrigerate perishable food promptly, and use an instant-read thermometer where a safe internal temperature is specified.
You are the test kitchen
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Research EditionGood to know
Mujaddara hamra from southern Lebanon gets its warm brown-red color from onions cooked well past gold. Lentils and coarse bulgur absorb that sweet-savory base.
Refrigerate for up to 4 days or freeze for 2 months.
Serve warm or room temperature with cabbage salad, radishes, cucumber and yogurt if desired.
