MY FAVOURITE TURKISH BULGUR SALAD: KISIR

Okay everyone, I’m sharing with you my favourite bulgur salad! I first tried this dish at a Turkish restaurant and I couldn’t believe how a grain like bulgur can be so delicious and packed with flavour!

What is Kisir?

Kisir is a bulgur based salad found in Turkish and Kurdish cuisines. It has a distinct and delicious tart-savory flavors. It can be prepared a couple of days in advance in large amounts. In fact, it tastes even better the next day when all the herbs and spices had some time to mingle!

What is bulgur?

bulgur is an ancient whole wheat grain that’s packed with protein, fiber, and vitamins. It is a common ingredient in cuisines of many countries of the Middle East and Mediterranean. It has a light, nutty flavor.

Bulgur comes from cracked whole-grain kernels of wheat that get parboiled and dried before packaging. Bulgur varies in how finely it has been ground, and comes in four grades:

• Fine (#1) - used for Kisir and Tabbouleh

• Medium (#2)

• Coarse (#3)

• Very Course (#4)

There is really no cooking involved for bulgur, all you need is the right amount of hot water to soak for couple of minutes. Amazing, isn’t it?

Health benefits of Bulgur

To convince even further to you to try this Kisir, bulgur is a superfood. A cup of cooked bulgur is lower in calories when compared to a cup of quinoa. It also has a lower fat content, contains vitamins and minerals, and when compared to quinoa, bulgur has a higher amount of dietary fiber.

Bulgurs can get easily confused with couscous. But in terms of overall health, bulgur wins! With less calories, more fiber, and more micronutrients (all due to it being a whole grain).

Kisir vs. Tabbouleh

You may confuse Kisir and Tabbouleh as they both use bulgur and parsley. However, they are quite very different starting with their taste profile. If you take the Syrian or Lebanese tabbouleh for comparison, you will immediately notice that it contains much more parsley than bulgur. You can also say: Kisir is bulgur salad with parsley. Tabouleh is parsley salad with bulgur.

I do love Tabbouleh and I can definitely recommend my Tabbouleh recipe! I often serve Kisir and Tabbouleh together as they do taste quite different and you can create amazing tasting mezze platters.

I hope you enjoy!

-Ari Yori

KISIR TURKISH BULGUR SALAD RECIPE

prep time: 15 minutes

soak time: 5 minutes

portion: 4-5 servings as a side dish

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INGREDIENTS

1 cup (200g) bulgur (Köftelik Bulgur), fine grade

2/3 cup 2 tbsp (150g) hot water

1 medium sized red onion, finely diced

1 garlic clove, finely minced or pressed

2-3 green onions, thinly sliced

1 large bundle of parsley, finely chopped

1 large bundle of dill, finely minced

1 tsp cumin powder

1.5 tbsp paprika paste (Acı Biber Salçası)

1 tbsp tomato paste

2-3 tbsp olive oil

juice of half of lemon

2-3 tbsp pomegranate syrup

salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. Place dried bulgur in a medium sized bowl and pour the hot boiling water evenly then cover the bowl using a plate/saucer. Let it soak until you are ready to add them into the bulgur salad.

2. Heat your pan on medium heat and drizzle 2-3 tbsp of olive oil. First sauté the diced onions and when they become soft and translucent, add the garlic and sauté until fragrant. Lastly, add the cumin powder, tomato paste and paprika paste and mix everything together until it becomes a paste. Turn off heat and let it cool.

3. In a large bowl, combine chopped green onions, dill and parsley.

4. Using a fork, fluff the soaked bulgur. It may seem a bit crumbly and dry but this is the perfect texture so don’t add more water. Transfer the bulgur into the large bowl and mix everything until well incorporated together.

5. Then add the tomato paprika paste that you have sautéed into the large bowl and mix everything together. Then drizzle olive oil, lemon juice, and pomegranate syrup. Mix everything using a spoon until everything is well coated and blended together. you can serve it right away or the day after.