Bulgur Pilav

Bulgur pilav is the everyday grain dish of the Turkish table, cooked the way rice is but with more flavor built into the pot: onion and pepper softened in butter and oil, a spoonful each of tomato and pepper paste, then the bulgur toasted in all of it before any liquid goes in.

The order matters more than the ingredient list. Toasting coarse bulgur in fat before the liquid arrives keeps the grains separate and gives the finished pilav a nutty edge. Adding the tomato paste and pepper paste to the hot pan rather than to the water cooks off their raw sharpness and deepens the color to a proper brick red.

The last step is the one people skip. Off the heat, covered with a cloth, resting for ten minutes: that is what turns a wet pot into a loose, fluffable pilav.

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 1 cup coarse bulgur
• 2 cups water, or 1 cup chicken broth and 1 cup water
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 bell pepper, diced or sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon pepper paste
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1/2 tablespoon dried mint (optional)
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme or oregano (optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
• Salt to taste

Method

1. Brown the butter in a pot, then add the olive oil.
2. Add the diced onion and sauté until transparent.
3. Once the onion has softened, add the pepper and sauté for 1 to 2 minutes.
4. Add the minced garlic and continue to sauté.
5. Add the bulgur, stirring to coat it in the fat.
6. Add the tomato paste and pepper paste and mix thoroughly.
7. Season with the dried mint, thyme, and salt, and add the red pepper flakes if using.
8. Add the water or broth and turn the heat to high.
9. Once it boils, lower the heat and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, until most of the liquid is absorbed.
10. Turn off the heat, cover the pot with a kitchen cloth or paper towel, and let it rest for 10 minutes.
11. Fluff with a fork and serve.

Notes

The cloth under the lid is not a flourish. It absorbs the steam that would otherwise condense on the lid and drip back onto the grain, which is the difference between fluffy pilav and a damp one.

Coarse bulgur is the right grind here. Fine bulgur will turn soft and clumped under a simmer; save it for kısır and tabbouleh, where hot water and a covered bowl do the work instead.

Broth in place of half the water makes a noticeably richer pilav. Water alone is the everyday version and lets the paste carry the flavor.

Keep Reading

Asparagus bulgur pilav, a lighter spring version of the same method. And Turkish köfte, the dish this pilav is most often served alongside.