Lerisa! I found a good description on the Internet. Bulgur is sooooo delicious. Be sure to find and try!
Bulgur - Mediterranean rice
Finally, this "fashionable" cereal reached us. The fashion for which, by the way, has not passed for several millennia. And this is great: bulgur is healthy, tasty, convenient and simple. Before you rush to Parmesan and mayonnaise this wonderful side dish in its elegant aromatic simplicity, read how it is prepared and served with in countries with ancient culinary traditions. First - a couple of words from the history of the Bulgur.
According to rough and unspecified data, bulgur has been cooked for 4000 years. It is a pity that historians were more willing to describe wars than the culinary habits of their fellow countrymen, which is more useful in every sense. One way or another, bulgur is now (still) popular in countries with a rich culinary past: Armenia, India, the Middle Eastern countries and in all Mediterranean countries, which confirms its venerable age.
Basically, bulgur is wheat. Steamed, partially peeled and crushed into small fractions. (The Russian analogue of bulgur can be called a yachka, which is made in a similar way from barley, but without steaming.) After steaming, wheat grains are dried in the sun, after which they are shelled and crushed. It is steaming with drying that gives a unique taste and aroma to the future dish with bulgur. And all you need is a little butter and a well-heated wok, cauldron or frying pan in order for the bulgur to begin to exude a wonderful nutty aroma, which, if properly prepared, gourmets "add up" like a drug.
When they talk about the dangers of white bread (wheat), its calorie content and unhealthy are always meant products made from premium wheat flour - a refined product. But, unfortunately, this statement casts a shadow on bulgur, which, unlike flour, has much more vitamins, minerals and fiber necessary for the functioning of the digestive tract. There is quite a lot of fiber in bulgur, which puts this product on a par with the best representatives of healthy side dishes. Bulgur contains a lot of potassium and iron, which strengthens the heart muscles and blood vessels. The carbohydrates in bulgur are complex, that is, they are absorbed more slowly and do not harm the figure. Calorie content of 360 kcal perfectly saturates, and after a dish with bulgur, you don't feel like eating for a very long time. Conclusion: bulgur is not a roll, it is useful and not dangerous for the figure.
As many as five advantages: satiates, does not spoil the figure, tasty, healthy and inexpensive. What more could you ask for? All that remains is to cook.
Bulgur can be a side dish, replace rice in any dishes, it is combined with meat (chicken, lamb) and fish (sea), serves as a filling when stuffing vegetables, can be added to salads. Turkish pilav (analogue of pilaf) is prepared with bulgur, and wedding pilaf is prepared from bulgur in Cyprus and Greece. Bulgur is added to soups and stews, the taste of which takes on an oriental flavor.
Almost all dishes with bulgur are prepared by frying cereals in oil. This roasting process is very similar to roasting rice in risotto. You can use butter, ghee, ghee or olive oil. As a last resort, sunflower is suitable.But it is in butter that bulgur reveals its aroma most vividly. Melt the butter, let it warm up well, add a cup of bulgur (without rinsing in water!) And stirring thoroughly, fry the bulgur over a high flame until a specific nutty aroma appears.
Fried bulgur can be continued to cook in the same pan or added to soup, stuffed with vegetables before baking. In order to continue cooking, pour in a cup of boiling water and, without stopping stirring, bring to readiness. At the same time, the water will be completely absorbed, and the bulgur will become crumbly. You can cook bulgur easier - by boiling 2 parts of water and adding one part of bulgur. In this case, you will get a wonderful thick porridge, into which you can add oil and serve with dried fruits for breakfast. But there are many other cereals for this method, and bulgur is good just as a side dish or filling.
There is an ancient tabbouleh salad. It is older than Greek and much older than all known European salads. His homeland, where modern civilization was born, is the Middle East. The salad is simple, but very nutritious and extraordinarily tasty, as it should be for a real ancient dish. For him, take cilantro, parsley, mint and green onions and chop finely and finely. Add a little oil and lemon juice, sprinkle with pepper and salt. Mix greens with cooked (fried) bulgur. Everything is served on large lettuce leaves.
Bulgur is even used in desserts! However, there is nothing surprising - chickpeas are also used for delicious halva, and if you sweeten bulgur with honey and add nuts ... Bulgur allows free circulation, it can be used as the basis of desserts, added to baked goods (soaked or steamed), combined with boiled juices, honey , syrups, nuts, dried fruits. Bulgur will only be glad.
The tools for cooking bulgur usually boil down to a frying pan or whatever can replace it. Wok is better anyway. To cook something with bulgur for the first time, use all-purpose meat (chicken) and add carrots and onions. Salt and spices to taste. The main thing here is bulgur. The aroma of the dish will depend on it.
So, melt the butter in a wok, heat it up, add bulgur. Do not under any circumstances try to rinse the bulgur. Stir continuously, keep the fire strong at first. Wait for the nutty smell. Experienced cooks say that bulgur can be allowed to burn a little - this is also for flavor. Then add finely chopped onions, carrots and finely chopped chicken. Stir everything to combine the juices, let the butter cover all the products and add boiling water - everything will cook for ten minutes. If you want a drier and more loose dish - add as much water as bulgur, if you want a thicker one - double the volume. Stir again, salt and pepper, stir, cover and reduce heat. At the very end, it is useful to stir again and let it brew for about five minutes on the off stove. Serve the dish to the table and do not forget about fresh vegetables, herbs, pita or pita bread. You can have some red wine with the dish. If you don't want wine, make some tea later. Only I beg you, do not spoil this deliciousness with beer!
Bulgur is ideal for culinary experiments and for quick and easy meals. Try it!