Kısır
Southeastern Turkish bulgur salad with pepper paste, herbs and pomegranate molasses
Kısır comes from southeastern Turkey but is now the dish women across the country bring to 'altın günü', the afternoon gatherings where friends meet at each other's homes over tea. Fine bulgur is softened with hot water and kneaded with tomato and pepper paste until rosy, then mixed with spring onion, parsley, mint, lemon and pomegranate molasses. It is served at room temperature, often wrapped in crisp lettuce leaves. The typical mistake is pouring in too much water, which turns the bulgur mushy; use just enough to cover. Chef's tip: knead the pastes into the warm bulgur with your hands for a full minute so every grain turns red and the flavour goes right through.
- Total time
- 25 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Put 7 oz fine bulgur (köftelik) in a large bowl and pour over ¾ cup boiling water so it is just covered. Cover with a plate and leave for 15 minutes, until all the water is absorbed and a grain is tender with no hard centre.
15 minStep 2: While it is still warm, add ½ onion, 1 tbsp tomato paste and 1 tbsp red pepper paste (biber salçası). Knead with your hands for 1–2 minutes, squeezing the bulgur through your fingers, until it is evenly rosy-red and the onion has softened.
2 minStep 3: Add 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, 2 tbsp pomegranate molasses, 2 tbsp lemon juice, ½ tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp Aleppo pepper flakes (pul biber) and 1 tsp salt and mix well. Leave to cool to room temperature.
Step 4: Fold in 4 spring onions, 1 tomato, 1 ⅜ oz flat-leaf parsley and ⅓ oz fresh mint. Taste: it should be tangy, slightly sweet and gently warm. Add more lemon or molasses if it tastes flat.
Step 5: Serve heaped on a platter with 8 cos lettuce leaves leaves to scoop it up. It keeps for 2 days in the fridge; add the herbs on the day for the freshest colour.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 200 kcal
- Protein
- 5 g
- Carbs
- 32 g
- Fat
- 7 g
- Fibre
- 6 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does kısır take?
- About 25 minutes in total.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of lemon juice?
- Lime juice, same amount.
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Mix capsicum peanut salad
A crunchy salad of red, yellow and green peppers with roasted peanuts, cucumber, carrots and celery, dressed with lemon, dill, mint and celery leaves. Just before serving, olive oil mixed with sesame seeds is poured over the top. It's colourful, filling and full of protein.
All-way potato salad
Warm new potatoes boiled in their skins and tossed in one of three dressings: creamy parsley sour cream, a tangy basil vinaigrette, or a fresh 'greeny' dressing of cottage cheese and herbs. Each dressing is enough for 500 g of potatoes, so make one, or make all three for a party. Serve the salad chilled on a bed of lettuce with a spoonful of single cream on top.
Greek village salad
A true Greek salad has no lettuce: just ripe tomatoes, crunchy cucumber, sharp onion and olives, dressed with good olive oil and dried oregano, with a whole slab of feta on top. Salt the tomatoes first and they'll make their own dressing.