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A warm mixed mushroom freekeh bowl with a rich chili lime tahini dressing. This bowl is packed full of different textures and flavors, lots of fiber, and you’re free to add other vegetables of your choice for extra crunch. This recipe is great for meal prep too!

WHAT IS FREEKEH? 

I first stumbled upon this grain and first cooked with it when I joined a Palestinian cookbook club in NYC back in June 2024. The dish I made and brought to share was a freekeh salad with lots of different herbs, and I really enjoyed the chewy bite these grains had. 

So what is freekeh? It’s made from green durum wheat that’s roasted and rubber together. Freekeh means “to rub” in Arabic, and since this grain is roasted, it has a smokiness to it that adds to its overall flavor. 

The chewiness reminds me of barley, but the smokiness and flavor is very unique to freekeh and it really adds to the flavor of the dish wherever it is used.

INGREDIENTS YOU’LL NEED

FREEKEH

• 1 cup freekeh (uncooked) 200 g
• 2 cups water
• Pinch salt

DRESSING (this dressing makes extra if you plan to use other greens, vegetables to add to the bowl)

• 1/2 cup tahini
• Juice of 1 lime
• 1/2 tbsp gochujang or Korean chili paste
• 1/2 tbsp chili crisp or chili oil
• 1 tbsp maple syrup or other sweetener, adjust to taste
• 1/2 tbsp soy sauce or to taste
• 1/4 cup room temperature water adjust to desired consistency

SCALLION OIL

• 6 scallions , root ends trimmed and sliced
• 6 tbsp neutral oil , I used avocado oil
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt or more to taste
• 1/2 tsp Chinese five spice powder

MUSHROOMS

• 12.5 oz mushrooms of choice I used a mix of baby Bella, oyster, and shimeji mushrooms
• 1 tbsp vegan butter
• 1 small shallot halved then thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp white miso paste
• Salt and pepper to taste

ASSEMBLY

• Cooked freekeh
• Mushrooms
• Chili lime tahini dressing
• Scallion oil
• Cooked lentils
• Any grated or fresh vegetables of your choice lettuce, carrots, tomatoes, etc.
• Any nuts/seeds of your choice
• Crispy fried shallots makes all the difference!
• Toasted sesame seeds

FREEKEH

• Rinse the freekeh through running water. Drain any excess water.
• Place the freekeh in a medium sized pot. Add the salt and water.
• Put the pot over medium heat and cover. Leave the water to come to a boil. Once it boils, lower the heat until it’s at a gentle simmer.
• Cook the freekeh for 15-20 minutes over low heat or until water is absorbed and freekeh is chewy or cooked to your liking. Remove the lid and allow the freekeh to cool for a few minutes.
• PREP TIP: You can prepare the freekeh 2-3 days in advance along with the other ingredients and mix everything together when ready to enjoy.

DRESSING

• For the dressing, simply mix everything together until smooth. You can add more or less water depending on your desired consistency and the thickens of your tahini. You can also add more or less of each ingredient and adjust to your preferred taste.
• This dressing can be make up to 1 week in advance and stored in an air-tight container and placed in the refrigerator. Do note that the dressing will thicken when cold, so you will need to mix it well or add more water to adjust the consistency when ready to serve.

SCALLION OIL

• Slice the root ends of the scallions.
• Thinly slice the scallions. Place these in a a heat proof bowl.
• Add the salt and chinese five spice powder.
• Heat the oil in a small pot over medium heat until it comes to around 300 to 350F (150 to 180C). If not using a thermometer, you can add a small scallion in the oil and it should immediately sizzle/bubble.
• Once the oil is hot, turn off the heat.
• Immediately and carefully pour the hot oil over the scallions. Mix well and set aside.

MUHSROOMS

• Slice the mushrooms or break these apart into smaller pieces.
• Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Place the sliced mushrooms and spread these apart on the pan. Allow the mushrooms to get a nice sear before moving around/flipping. The mushrooms will also start to release excess moisture as these cook down.
• Once the mushrooms are cooked, move the mushrooms to the side of the pan. Melt the vegan butter and add in the minced shallots. Cook until fragrant, around 30 seconds.
• Add the white miso paste and mix well to combine with the butter.
• Mix the mushrooms and butter-miso mixture together. Season with salt & pepper to taste, if needed. Set the mushrooms aside.

ASSEMBLY

• If you prepared the freekeh in advance, I recommend to warm a bowl that you’d like to enjoy. I place this in a bowl and simply microwave it for 30 seconds to a minute (depending on your microwave settings and the amount of freekeh).
• Add a layer of lentils, any greens and nuts you’d like to us, cooked mushrooms, a generous amount of the dressing, scallion oil, and of course the crispy fried shallots and sesame seeds for garnish.
• Mix everything together and enjoy warm!

MORE RECIPES YOU’LL ENJOY

• Easy Spicy Miso Noodles
• Ginger and Scallion Noodles
• Spicy Cucumber Salad
• Chili Garlic Oil Noodles
• Mie Goreng (Indonesian Fried Noodles)
• Chili Garlic and Black Bean Eggplant Noodles
• Kimchi Mayo Deopbap
• Korean Beansprout Salad
• Bibim Guksu (Korean Mixed Noodles)
• Sundubu Jjigae (Korean Soft Tofu Stew)
• Yaki Udon

Mixed Mushroom Freekeh Bowl with Chili Lime Tahini Dressing

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A warm mixed mushroom freekeh bowl with a rich chili lime tahini dressing. This bowl is packed full of different textures and flavors, lots of fiber, and you’re free to add other vegetables of your choice for extra crunch. This recipe is great for meal prep too!

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Total Time 45 minutes mins

Course Appetizer, Main Course, Salad, Salads, Starters

Cuisine Asian, Fusion, Israeli, Mediterranean

Servings 4 servings

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

FREEKEH

• 1 cup freekeh (uncooked) 200 g
• 2 cups water
• Pinch salt

DRESSING (this dressing makes extra if you plan to use other greens, vegetables to add to the bowl)

• 1/2 cup tahini
• Juice of 1 lime
• 1/2 tbsp gochujang or Korean chili paste
• 1/2 tbsp chili crisp or chili oil
• 1 tbsp maple syrup or other sweetener, adjust to taste
• 1/2 tbsp soy sauce or to taste
• 1/4 cup room temperature water adjust to desired consistency

SCALLION OIL

• 6 scallions , root ends trimmed and sliced
• 6 tbsp neutral oil , I used avocado oil
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt or more to taste
• 1/2 tsp Chinese five spice powder

MUSHROOMS

• 12.5 oz mushrooms of choice I used a mix of baby Bella, oyster, and shimeji mushrooms
• 1 tbsp vegan butter
• 1 small shallot halved then thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp white miso paste
• Salt and pepper to taste

ASSEMBLY

• Cooked freekeh
• Mushrooms
• Chili lime tahini dressing
• Scallion oil
• Cooked lentils
• Any grated or fresh vegetables of your choice lettuce, carrots, tomatoes, etc.
• Any nuts/seeds of your choice
• Crispy fried shallots makes all the difference!
• Toasted sesame seeds

Instructions

 

FREEKEH

• Rinse the freekeh through running water. Drain any excess water.
• Place the freekeh in a medium sized pot. Add the salt and water.
• Put the pot over medium heat and cover. Leave the water to come to a boil. Once it boils, lower the heat until it’s at a gentle simmer.
• Cook the freekeh for 15-20 minutes over low heat or until water is absorbed and freekeh is chewy or cooked to your liking. Remove the lid and allow the freekeh to cool for a few minutes.
• PREP TIP: You can prepare the freekeh 2-3 days in advance along with the other ingredients and mix everything together when ready to enjoy.

DRESSING

• For the dressing, simply mix everything together until smooth. You can add more or less water depending on your desired consistency and the thickens of your tahini. You can also add more or less of each ingredient and adjust to your preferred taste.
• This dressing can be make up to 1 week in advance and stored in an air-tight container and placed in the refrigerator. Do note that the dressing will thicken when cold, so you will need to mix it well or add more water to adjust the consistency when ready to serve.

SCALLION OIL

• Slice the root ends of the scallions.
• Thinly slice the scallions. Place these in a a heat proof bowl.
• Add the salt and chinese five spice powder.
• Heat the oil in a small pot over medium heat until it comes to around 300 to 350F (150 to 180C). If not using a thermometer, you can add a small scallion in the oil and it should immediately sizzle/bubble.
• Once the oil is hot, turn off the heat.
• Immediately and carefully pour the hot oil over the scallions. Mix well and set aside.

MUHSROOMS

• Slice the mushrooms or break these apart into smaller pieces.
• Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Place the sliced mushrooms and spread these apart on the pan. Allow the mushrooms to get a nice sear before moving around/flipping. The mushrooms will also start to release excess moisture as these cook down.
• Once the mushrooms are cooked, move the mushrooms to the side of the pan. Melt the vegan butter and add in the minced shallots. Cook until fragrant, around 30 seconds.
• Add the white miso paste and mix well to combine with the butter.
• Mix the mushrooms and butter-miso mixture together. Season with salt & pepper to taste, if needed. Set the mushrooms aside.

ASSEMBLY

• If you prepared the freekeh in advance, I recommend to warm a bowl that you’d like to enjoy. I place this in a bowl and simply microwave it for 30 seconds to a minute (depending on your microwave settings and the amount of freekeh).
• Add a layer of lentils, any greens and nuts you’d like to us, cooked mushrooms, a generous amount of the dressing, scallion oil, and of course the crispy fried shallots and sesame seeds for garnish.
• Mix everything together and enjoy warm!

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