Kısır — Turkish Bulgur Salad with Pomegranate & Herbs

⏱ 35 min · Serves 4

Tangy, herby and just a little fiery, this Turkish fine bulgur salad is the kind of thing that disappears from the bowl before you've sat down. Pomegranate molasses and lemon do the heavy lifting, while parsley, mint and spring onion keep it fresh. Scoop it up with baby gem leaves.

Per serving: 410 kcal · 9.0g protein · 57.0g carbs · 16.0g fat

Ingredients

• 200g fine bulgur wheat
• 280ml boiling water or hot vegetable stock
• 3 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tbsp Turkish red pepper paste (biber salçası), or 1 tsp extra tomato paste
• 1 small onion, very finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tbsp pomegranate molasses
• Juice of 1½ lemons
• 1 tsp pul biber (Aleppo pepper), or to taste
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 large bunch flat-leaf parsley (about 40g), finely chopped
• Small bunch mint (about 15g), leaves finely chopped
• 4 spring onions, thinly sliced
• 1 Lebanese cucumber, finely diced
• 2 tomatoes, deseeded and finely diced
• Seeds of ½ pomegranate
• Baby gem or little gem lettuce leaves, to serve

Method

1. Tip the bulgur into a large bowl. Stir the tomato paste and pepper paste into the boiling water until dissolved, then pour over the bulgur. Cover with a plate and leave for 20 minutes, until the grains are tender and the liquid absorbed. Fluff with a fork and let cool slightly.
2. Meanwhile, warm 1 tbsp of the olive oil in a small pan and soften the onion and garlic over a low heat for 5 minutes — just to take the raw edge off. Cool.
3. Add the softened onion mixture to the bulgur along with the remaining 3 tbsp olive oil, pomegranate molasses, lemon juice, pul biber, cumin and salt. Mix thoroughly with your hands or a fork so every grain is coated and glossy.
4. Fold through the parsley, mint, spring onions, cucumber and tomatoes. Taste and adjust — it should be punchy, sour and lightly sweet; add more lemon or molasses as needed.
5. Pile onto a platter, scatter over the pomegranate seeds and a final pinch of pul biber. Tuck lettuce leaves around the edge for scooping. Best at room temperature.