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Bulgur pilavı

Name: Bulgur pilavı
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 3 tbsp olive oil; 2 piece small onions, chopped; 1 tsp Turkish chilli paste (biber salçası); 3 piece tomatoes, diced; salt and pepper; 500 ml coarse bulgur (2 cups), rinsed; 1 l chicken stock (or vegetable stock)

domatesli bulgur pilavı

Turkish pilaf of coarse bulgur cooked in stock with onion, tomato and red pepper paste until the liquid is absorbed. The recipe is Ishil Ihtiyar's, for SBS Food; Turkey's Ministry of Culture and Tourism adds the plain version and the trick of resting the pot under a towel.

Editorial illustration of the documented recipe; not a photograph of a kitchen-tested result.

Servings: 6
Preparation: 5 min
Cooking: 25 min
Resting: 15 min
Total: 45 min
Difficulty: Easy

Equipment

Heavy saucepan with a lid
Clean tea towel or two-fold paper towel

Servings6

Ingredients

3 tbspolive oil
2 small onions, chopped
1 tspTurkish chilli paste (biber salçası)
3 tomatoes, diced
salt and pepper
500 mlcoarse bulgur (2 cups), rinsedCoarse (pilavlık) bulgur; fine bulgur is for salads and köfte.
1 lchicken stock (or vegetable stock)

Shopping list

Method

Heat the oil in the saucepan, add the onion, chilli paste and tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Cook for a few minutes until the onion and tomato start to soften.
Timer · 5 min5:00
Stir in the bulgur, add the stock and bring to the boil.
Lower to a simmer, cover and cook for 15–20 minutes, until the stock has been absorbed.
Why Ihtiyar calls it a 'no-stir risotto': once covered, leave it alone.
Timer · 18 min18:00
Turn off the heat, lay a folded cloth or paper towel between the pan and the lid and let it rest 15 minutes. Fluff gently with a fork before serving.
Why The Ministry's method: the towel absorbs the steam so the grains stay separate and dry.
Timer · 15 min15:00

To drink & serve with

Serve with braised or grilled meat or vegetables, as the source suggests, and a bowl of yoghurt (editorial).

Substitutions

Chicken stock (vegetarian) → Vegetable stock, as the source suggests.
Tomato and chilli paste (plain pilav) → The Ministry's sade bulgur pilavı: 1 cup bulgur, 1½ cups boiling water, 1 onion, 2 tbsp butter, 1 tbsp corn oil, salt and pepper.

Common mistakes

Using fine bulgur: it turns to paste.
Lifting the lid and stirring: the pilaf goes sticky.

Storage & reheating

Keeps 2 days in the fridge; cool within 2 hours and reheat once, until steaming hot (UK FSA).

Safety

Contains gluten (bulgur is wheat). Many stocks contain celery: check the label.

Allergens

Gluten · Celery

Check labels: stock, bacon and sauces can contain further allergens.

Dietary

dairy-free

Pilav from wheat

Bulgur, wheat that has been boiled, dried and cracked, is cooked in Turkey like rice, as a pilav. Turkey's Ministry of Culture and Tourism lists sade bulgur pilavı, plain bulgur pilaf, among its Turkish vegetarian dishes: bulgur, onion, butter, a little oil and boiling water. Chef Ishil Ihtiyar's version for SBS Food adds tomato and Turkish red pepper paste for colour and flavour, and calls the result "a no-stir risotto".

[1][2]

Absorb, then rest

The method is the same as for rice pilav. The aromatics soften in oil, the rinsed coarse bulgur goes in with the hot liquid, and the pot is covered on a low heat until the liquid is absorbed. The Ministry's pilav method then has a step that matters: the heat is turned off, a folded paper towel goes between the pan and the lid, and the pilav rests 15 minutes before it is fluffed with a fork. The towel takes up the steam so the grains stay separate.

[2][1]

How it connects

Place

origin Türkiye In preparation

Recipe

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