How to Cook Bulgur Salad

" If you're a fan of Middle Eastern tabbouleh and other dishes made with bulgur, you'll love the classic Turkish recipe for chilled bulgur"

How to Cook Bulgur Salad

Bulgur, sometimes referred to as broken wheat, is a staple in Turkish kitchens and one of the common ingredients in Turkish cuisine. It's used to make side dishes such as bulgur pilaf, added to thick soups, kneaded into meatballs, and, one of my favorites, included in cold salads like bulgur and fresh and crunchy spice salads.

Ingredients Bulgur Salad:

• 2 cups fine bulgur
• 2 cups boiling water
• 1 medium onion
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1 heap tbsp. sweet red pepper paste
• 2 medium tomatoes
• 2 medium cucumbers
• 6 to 8 green onions
• A handful of fresh Italian parsley
• 3 or 4 sprigs of fresh mint
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice or tamarind
• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon. salt, more or less to taste
• 1/2 tsp. black pepper
• 1/2 tsp. red chili flakes, more or less to taste

How to Make Bulgur Salad:

1. Put the bulgur into a large bowl. Pour boiling water over it. The water should completely cover the bulgur by about 1/4 inch (add a little boiling water if necessary). Cover the bowl with a lid or plastic bundle, then wrap with a towel. Leave it for about 15 minutes for the bulgur to soften.
2. While the bulgur softens, prepare your vegetables. Start by peeling the onion and garlic and chopping them as finely as possible. Mix the chopped onion and garlic with the pepper paste and set aside.
3. Chop the tomatoes, cucumbers, scallions, parsley, and mint equally and put them in a separate bowl. The softer you slice it, the better the structure of your salad will be.
4. Free the cloth and cover from the bulgur bowl. Put on rubber gloves, and tap the bulgur with your fingers. Drizzle lemon juice or pomegranate tamarind and oil over it and stir with your fingers. Next, add the pepper paste combination and mix evenly through the bulgur.
5. Add chopped greens and spices and continue to stir with your fingers until all ingredients are combined. Add salt and black pepper, and revise the taste.
6. You can serve your ksr salad right away, or you can cover it and refrigerate it for a while. Be sure to crunch with your fingers again before serving.