Turkish · Lunch · Dinner · Snack
Kisir (Turkish Bulgur Salad)
Kısır
A tangy, herb-packed Turkish salad of fine bulgur tinted red with tomato and pepper paste and sharpened with lemon and pomegranate molasses. It is light and filling, and it is good scooped into crisp lettuce leaves.
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 15 min
- Total
- 40 min
- Serves
- 4
Calories come from: Carbs 68% · Fat 21% · Protein 11%
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Ingredients
For 4 servings- 1 cup170 gfine bulgur wheat
- 1 cup240 gboiling water
- 2 tbsp32 gtomato paste
- 1 tbsp17 gTurkish red pepper paste (biber salçası) (optional)
- 1 1/2 tbsp20 gextra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp30 glemon juice
- 1 1/2 tbsp30 gpomegranate molasses
- 460 gspring onions, finely sliced
- 1 bunch60 gflat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup loosely packed15 gfresh mint leaves, chopped
- 2 medium240 gtomatoes, finely diced
- 1 small150 gcucumber, finely diced
- 1 tspground cumin
- 1 tspTurkish chilli flakes (pul biber)
- 1 tsp6 gsalt
- 8 leaves120 gromaine lettuce leaves, to serve
- 1/3 cup50 gpomegranate seeds, to garnish (optional)
Steps
- 1
Put the bulgur in a large bowl and pour over the boiling water.
- 2
Cover the bowl and leave the bulgur for 15 minutes, until it has absorbed the water and softened.
- 3
While the bulgur soaks, dice the tomatoes and cucumber and chop the spring onions, parsley and mint.
- 4
Fluff the bulgur with a fork and stir in the tomato paste and the pepper paste, if using, while the bulgur is still warm.
- 5
Rub the paste through the bulgur with your hands or a spoon until every grain is evenly red.
- 6
Add the olive oil, lemon juice, pomegranate molasses, cumin, chilli flakes and salt, and mix well.
- 7
Let the bulgur cool to room temperature.
- 8
Fold in the tomatoes, cucumber, spring onions, parsley and mint.
- 9
Taste and adjust with more lemon or salt if needed.
- 10
Spoon onto a platter, scatter over the pomegranate seeds if using, and serve with the lettuce leaves for scooping.
Swaps, storage and make-ahead
Swaps
- For a gluten-free version, use cooked and cooled quinoa instead of bulgur, and choose tomato paste, pepper paste and pomegranate molasses labelled gluten-free.
- If you can't find Turkish red pepper paste, use an extra tablespoon of tomato paste plus a pinch of smoked paprika.
- If you have no pomegranate molasses, mix 1 tablespoon of lemon juice with 1 teaspoon of maple syrup or honey (maple syrup keeps it vegan).
- For a lighter dish, cut the olive oil to 1 tablespoon and add extra cucumber and parsley.
Storage
Refrigerate leftovers in a covered container within 2 hours and eat within 3 to 4 days, adding the pomegranate seeds and lettuce just before serving. Do not freeze, because the fresh vegetables and herbs turn watery and limp.
Make ahead
You can soak and season the bulgur with the pastes, oil, lemon, molasses and spices up to a day ahead and keep it covered in the fridge. Fold in the chopped vegetables and herbs a few hours before serving so they stay crisp.
Nutrition values are for the recipe as written.
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Allergens and nutrition
Contains: Gluten
Check the labels of packaged ingredients for allergens and suitability for your diet.
Full nutrition
| Per serving (294 g) | Per 100 g | |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 253 kcal | 86 kcal |
| Protein | 7.8 g | 2.7 g |
| Carbohydrates | 46.3 g | 15.7 g |
| of which sugars | 8.7 g | 3 g |
| Fiber | 8.6 g | 2.9 g |
| Fat | 6.3 g | 2.1 g |
| of which saturated | 0.9 g | 0.3 g |
| Sodium | 619 mg | 211 mg |
Nutrition is calculated from USDA FoodData Central data and may differ from what you cook.
