This recipe comes from Marina Arshavskly, a Nutritious Life Master Certified nutrition coach and a board-certified holistic health practitioner. Bulgur is made by parboiling, drying and cracking (or grinding) wheat berries. It is a whole grain that is high in both folate and fiber. And, because it’s parboiled, it’s also super quick and easy to cook. This kisir recipe is similar to Mediterranean tabbouleh, but adds tomato paste and some type of hot pepper component for a kick. In this case, the recipe calls for paprika or smoked paprika, but you can also use chili powder or even fresh, diced hot peppers of your liking. For a gluten-free version, you can substitute grains such as quinoa or gluten-free oats for the bulgur. (Image: Shutterstock)
Ingredients
Directions
- Boil a pot of water and pour boiling water over the bulgur. (As a rule of thumb, use 2 cups of liquid to 1 cup of dry bulgur) Cover and let stand for 20 minutes.
- Check the consistency of the bulgur. It should be slightly hard but not too hard. If it seems too hard, add more boiling water and let stand for 5-10 minutes more.
- Finely chop the cucumber, tomato, green onion, parsley, and mint leaves (can be replaced with lettuce). Once the bulgur is ready, fold them together.
- Mix oil, tomato paste, sea salt, pepper, lemon juice and paprika. Note: A traditional kisir salad calls for pomegranate molasses, which has a sweet and tangy flavor. To reduce the sugar content, this recipe substitutes lemon juice for the molasses.