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Categories: Healthy eating, Salads, Vegetarian

Spicy bulgur salad with sweet peppers and pepper paste

Spicy bulgur salad with sweet peppers and pepper paste
Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times

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When I lived in the Middle East, I learned that tender tabbouleh salad and crunchy fried kibbeh, the celebrated Levantine croquette, share a key ingredient: bulgur. Since ancient times, bulgur has been a staple in the Fertile Crescent, where it ... Read more

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Total time: 1 hour | Serves 4 to 6
Note: If you shape the salad mixture in oval patties and set each on a tender romaine lettuce leaf, it can be picked up and eaten wrapped in the leaf. The platter of salad is sometimes garnished with tomato wedges and slices of Persian cucumber. Turkish red pepper paste comes in hot and mild varieties; if you use the mild one in this recipe, you may want to add a little more. Sometimes the paste is labeled paprika paste. If there is no English on the label, the word "aci" tells you it is hot. Even the hot version has some sweetness and is not as fiery as Southeast Asian pepper pastes such as sambal oelek. Some people use tomato paste instead of pepper paste and spice the salad with semi-hot pepper flakes.
Just ingredients Ingredient basics
  • 1 cup bulgur, medium (No. 2) or fine (No. 1) (about 5.5 ounces)
  • Salt
  • 1 cup hot water
  • 3 small green onions
  • 5 tablespoons fruity extra-virgin olive oil, or more to taste, divided
  • 1 brown onion (about 8 ounces), chopped (about 1 2/3 cups)
  • 2 red bell peppers (about 1 pound), finely diced (about 2 2/3 cups)
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons Turkish-style pepper paste, preferably hot, or to taste
  • 3 to 4 tablespoons lemon juice, or to taste, divided
  • Freshly ground pepper
  • Pinch of red pepper flakes, or to taste (optional)
  • 1 teaspoon dried mint
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped Italian parsley (about 1/2 of a 4-ounce bunch)

Step 1Combine the bulgur and one-half teaspoon salt in a medium bowl. Pour the hot water over the bulgur, cover and set aside until the water is absorbed and the bulgur is tender but still slightly chewy, about 15 minutes.

Step 2If the white ends of the green onions are thick, halve them lengthwise. Cut the white and green parts of the green onions in thin slices. You will need about one-third cup.

Step 3Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chopped brown onion and the peppers and saute, stirring occasionally, until they are tender but not brown, about 15 minutes. Add the cumin, stir over low heat for 30 seconds and remove from the heat.

Step 4In a small bowl, whisk the pepper paste with 2 tablespoons oil and 2 tablespoons lemon juice until blended. Whisk in 1 additional tablespoon lemon juice and a pinch of salt and pepper. Add this dressing to the bulgur and toss with a fork to blend. Add pepper flakes if desired. Lightly stir in the sauteed vegetable mixture, followed by the mint, green onions and parsley. Taste and adjust seasoning; add more lemon juice and/or oil if desired. Serve the salad at room temperature.

Each of 6 servings
Calories 222; Protein 4 grams; Carbohydrates 26 grams; Fiber 6 grams; Fat 12 grams; Saturated fat 2 grams; Cholesterol 0 mg; Sugar 4 grams; Sodium 464 mg
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Spicy bulgur salad with sweet peppers and pepper paste

By |

When I lived in the Middle East, I learned that tender tabbouleh salad and crunchy fried kibbeh, the celebrated Levantine croquette, share a key ingredient: bulgur. Since ancient times, bulgur has been a staple in the Fertile Crescent, where it is popular today as pilaf and is used in a variety of other dishes, including stuffed vegetables, lentil entrees, meat stews and stuffings for poultry. In fact, the word "bulgur" comes from Turkish, and southeastern Turkey may be the area where wheat was first cultivated.

Bulgur could be considered one of the world's first convenience foods. To be made into bulgur, wheat grains are parboiled, dried, ground and sifted to separate the pieces into different sizes. This process makes bulgur one of the quickest-cooking whole grains. In fact, bulgur does not need to be cooked at all. Soaking bulgur in water softens it enough to make it pleasant to eat, and this is the classic way to prepare it for salads such as tabbouleh and its spicy cousin kisir, flavored with red pepper paste and cumin.

I use bulgur as a substitute for longer-cooking grains to speed up the preparation of casseroles, soups and desserts. For example, in Noah's pudding, a nut, fruit and honey dessert that has been a favorite of mine since I first tasted it in Istanbul pudding shops, I replace the customary whole wheat berries with bulgur.

You can find bulgur in well-stocked supermarkets and natural foods stores. Middle Eastern markets have more varieties, often labeled by numbers: Bulgur No. 1 is finely ground, No. 2 is medium or medium-fine, No. 3 is coarse or medium-coarse, and No. 4 is coarse or extra-coarse. (The package descriptions of different companies vary slightly.) In general, cooks prefer the smallest bulgur for making lamb tartar, fine or medium bulgur for tabbouleh-type salads and fried kibbeh and larger sizes for pilafs and soups.

Bulgur is different from cracked wheat, which is raw. I've seen packages labeled bulgur cracked wheat -- as long as the word "bulgur" is there, you know it's the quick-cooking kind.

American-milled bulgur is often made from white wheat and is tan and mild in flavor. Some Middle Eastern markets carry darker-hued brown bulgur, which is made from red wheat. According to Mike Orlando of Sunnyland Mills in Fresno, some people use this bulgur, which has a slightly bitter taste due to more tannins, in Lebanese dishes. At some Los Angeles markets, there's also durum-wheat bulgur that comes from Turkey.

And new varieties of this oldest convenience food are still coming. Orlando told me that bulgur would soon be available made from freekeh (grilled young wheat), farro and Kamut.