No cooking, just boil water and let the bulgur wheat sit covered for 30 minutes. What a dream summer side!
Use whatever herbs you have available or particularly like, I gathered parsley, basil, and branches of bolted dill to put in the vase and for the blossoms which you can see in the petit bouquet on top of the salad. After taking the photo I stripped the blossoms and chopped them with the garlic for the dressing.
You can purchase bulgar wheat in packages near where rice and couscous is sold at the grocery. For this recipe, I used an 8.8-ounce package from 365, it looks medium grind to me and can be cooked in this boiling water soak method. If using coarse bulgur, a simmer on the stovetop is best, stop the cooking when the grains are al dente—it won’t take long as all bulgur is par-cooked.
Summer Bulgur Salad
serves 6–8; recipe adapted from Jennifer Segal of Once Upon a Chef
Ingredients
- 1½ cups bulgur wheat, medium grind
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ red onion, diced
- 1 cucumber, peeled and diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 cup fresh herbs (parsley, basil, and/or dill)
- 1 15-ounce can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained (or use home cooked w/Rancho Gordo beans)
dressing
- 2 lemons, juiced yield = ¼ cup
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon honey or sugar
- 1 teaspoon Maldon salt, or what you like
- freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
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Bring a kettle of water to boil. Combine bulgur and a couple pinches salt in a large bowl you will use to mix the salad. Measure 1¾ cups boiling water, pour over bulgur, cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap, and let steam for 30 minutes. Uncover, drain any residual water, and set aside to cool.
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Chop red onion and soak in cold water 10 minutes to mellow, then drain. (This is an optional step, otherwise just use the chopped red onions as they are.)
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Chop cucumber, red bell pepper, and herbs and add to cooled bulgur with the drained red onions, garbanzo beans, and dressing. Chill until ready to serve. Keep refrigerated and eat within a couple days.
