I’m a huge fan of Turkish cuisine and love going for a blow out when I’m back in London. Where possible I try and get the specials and share with the group so I can get a taste of everything! One part I most look forward to is the bulgar and if I can, I always swap the rice or chips for it as I love the texture and flavour.
I once asked someone what is the key to making a good bulgar dish, and they told me that the tomato paste is what gives it that beautiful red colour. You can also use red pepper paste, but tomato is more easily accessible. I also found that using chicken stock also gives it an extra level of flavour, but you can easily swap this out for either vegetable stock if you want to cater for veggies, or water.
I enjoyed mine with my lemon-honey salmon, which if you haven’t checked out already, the recipe is can be found here. But this is a super versatile side dish which works great with all the meats, fish, and even grilled veggies. It can be enjoyed both hot and cold so it’s perfect as a make ahead for a party.
2
servings5
minutes30
minutes35
minutesIngredients
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1/2 White onion, diced
1/2 Red Pepper, deseeded & diced
2 Salad Tomatos, diced
1 Tsp Tomato Paste
1/2 Cup Bulgar Wheat
1 Cup Chicken/Vegetable Stock or boiling water
1/2 Tsp Salt
1/4 Tsp Pepper
- Optional
1/4 Tsp 1/4 Tsp Chilli Powder
Directions
- Heat olive oil in a medium sauce pan on a medium-high heat. Add onions and peppers and reduce heat to medium-low and cook for around 8 minutes until soft.
- Next, add the tomatoes and stir for a couple more minutes until they start to soften before adding the tomato paste.
- Immediately add the bulgar wheat, stirring for another couple minutes.
- Pour in the stock or water, stir and increase the heat to high.
- Once boiling, reduce to a simmer for around 8-10 minutes with the lid on until all the liquid has evaporated.
- Remove from the heat and leave with the lid on for a further 5 minutes to steam.
- Serve with veggies, grilled meats or fish.