Easy Bulgur Pilaf
Actually, this recipe is not pilaf, there are quite a few pilaf recipes on the website. Let me introduce bulgur to you, and how it's cooked. The same friend who gave me the Kataifi noodles as a gift made me become "addicted" to bulgur and pepper paste (sweet pepper, in my case). For more than a year now it has been one of our favorite cereals for pilaf and all kinds of vegetable garnishes.
Bulgur is actually the wheat grain, peeled and pre-cooked. It's done very quickly and pilaf made from it will have separate grains, with a very good and interesting texture.
My first dish cooked with bulgur was just a kind of garnish/pilaf with onions, pepper paste and bulgur. The whole family ate with great pleasure and since then I've recommended it to everyone who came to visit.
This is what bulgur looks like.
Wash under cold water just like rice, two or three times. Drain well.
Prepare the rest of the ingredients.
Cut the chicken breast into thin slices.
Julienne the onion and the carrot.
Heat the oil well in a deep frying pan or a heavy-bottomed pot.
Add the chicken breast, and stir periodically until it stops releasing juice.
Add the carrot and onion, cook together for another five minutes.
Add the pepper/tomato paste, mix well. Cook for another five minutes.
Put the bulgur, stir.
Pour water.
Season with salt, pepper and bay leaf. Mix well.
When it comes to boil, turn the heat to low and let simmer for about 10-15 minutes.
All this time it has been boiling without a lid. Notice it's swollen now. If you taste it, it's done.
And yet, not perfect :)
To bring it to its ideal state, turn off the heat and cover the pot with a lid.
Let all the flavors infuse for 20-30 minutes. The bulgur will absorb the rest of the juice, it will have separate grains and won't be sticky.
Notice that I didn't mix at all since it started to boil after adding the spices and the water.
After this time, serve with whatever you like - salad, pickles etc.
Have a closer look here.
Enjoy!
