Bulgur Wheat Salad

I deviated quite a bit from this recipe, my modifications are at the end, but I’ll follow the recipe properly next time (maybe).

Ingredients for the Salad

3/4 cup bulgur wheat
3/4 cup boiling water (approx)
1/2 of a large cucumber, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
1/2 of a bell pepper (red/green, or your preference), chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
4 tablespoons scallions, finely chopped
2 tablespoons fresh coriander (cilantro), finely chopped
1/2 cup feta cheese
a few (or to taste) Black olives (optional)

Ingredients for the Dressing

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 – 2 garlic cloves, finely minced
salt, to taste
1/2 teaspoon black pepper (or to taste)

Directions

In a large bowl, combine the bulgur wheat and about 3/4 cups of boiling water. Stir, cover, and allow to soak for about 30 minutes, or until all the water has been absorbed. (If the bulgur is still tough, you can add a bit more water if needed and simmer it on low heat until softened, then drain. The bulgur should still have a bit of crunch to it.) While the bulgur is soaking, combine all the chopped vegetables in a separate bowl.
In a small bowl, whisk together all the dressing ingredients.
Once the bulgur has cooked and cooled a bit, add the dressing and stir well to combine. Then add in the vegetables, and mix well again.
Refrigerate the salad until ready to serve. This can be eaten chilled so can be prepared a couple of hours in advance, to allow the flavours to combine.

My Notes

I really went off-piste for this one. 🙂 I used 360 grams of coarse bulgur wheat, and 500 ml of vegetable stock (made with 3 x stock cubes). While that was sitting for 30 minutes, I chopped up some carrots that I had leftover from something else, and the insides of a cucumber since I needed the non-seeded part of the cucumber for something else. I also added a handful of green olives (the kind stuffed with pimientos) that I’d sliced into thirds. I added about 3 tablespoons of lemon juice, and skipped the olive oil since my ratio of water to bulgur left it a bit wet anyway. I also threw in some finely diced leftover Sucuk/Sujuk sausage that we needed to use up.
We really enjoyed this! I’ll definitely try the original recipe next time — and I will tweak my bulgur to water to make it more in line with the recipe, so that should help it stay drier and more al dente next time, too. 🙂