Good Question: What Can I Do With Bulgur Wheat?

As you clean out your pantry, fridge, and freezer during the Kitchen Spring Cure, you're bound to find extra ingredients here and there that you'd rather use up now than throw away or donate. Sometimes these ingredients are somewhat puzzling and hard to use up all at once. So our Good Questions the rest of this week will focus on a few of these ingredients you're having a hard time with. Here's one from reader Nathan.

I ended up buying WAY more bulgur wheat than I needed for a recipe. I now have this sizeable bag of bulgur wheat in my pantry, and I don't really know what to do with it.

Tabouli for the next five years? Other than that, what can you DO with bulgur wheat? What's it for, other than to thicken soup (what I used it for) or tabouli?

Bulgur wheat is a cracked wheat that has already been parboiled or precooked, so it will cook quickly and fluff up when steamed or steeped in boiling water. It comes in various sizes of grain; we've seen very fine versions and more heavy-grained versions.

Nathan, bulgur is great for a lot of dishes — not just tabbouleh! In fact, one dish I really enjoy is a sort of reverse tabbouleh, with much more grain than parsley; it's a warm, light vegetarian supper. I also think the dish pictured above looks amazingly good; it's from Warda at 64 sq ft kitchen, and it's her mother's recipe for spicy greens with bulgur. Yum yum!

Here are those recipes, plus a few more from The Kitchn and elsewhere. Overall, try bulgur in any cold or warm grain salad. You can also steam it and serve with sauce like pasta or couscous.

• Warm Wheat Salad (Or, Reverse Tabbouleh)
• My mother's Spicy Greens with Bulgur (Tchicha bel Khoubiz) (pictured above)
• Yazbek Kibbi
• From the Files: Warm Grain Salads for Fall
• Lentils with Bulgur Wheat and Caramelized Onions: Moujadara with Burghul
• Bulgur Wheat with Dried Cranberries
• D.I.Y. Tabbouleh

Readers? How do you use bulgur?

Next question?

(Image: Flickr member Warda | 64 sq ft kitchen via The Kitchn Cure photo pool)

Comments (20)

I would recommend the link in comment #1. Turkish food uses a lot of bulgur. My favorite way to eat bulgur is actually just like eating rice. Boil some water (I think the ratio may be 1:1.5 or 1:2 bulgur to water, although I'm not 100% sure and I think it may change depending on the type), put in the bulgur, reduce to simmer, cover, and let it soak up the water. The best way to cook it is to replace the water with chicken or turkey broth. Yum!

Tomato burghul is also a great way to use bulgur. Its also great for homemade veggie burgers. And mjadara is always delicious.

In addition to just using bulgur as a more nutritious replacement for rice, there are a ton of Middle Eastern/North African recipes that incorporate bulgur. I've made cashew kibbeh and you can use it in falafel and other related dishes.

I like to make a warm tabouleh salad with chopped kalamata olives, capers, and finely crumbled feta. Dress it with just a little bit of butter or olive oil and some lemon juice.

aaedible, I love making falafel! Where (and how) would you use the bulgar in that recipe?

Another great idea to try out is this Springtime Kubba, an Iraqi dish with bulgur, chicken and asparagus. Enjoy!!

One of my favorite recipes is a Mediteranean cold-bulgur salad (similar to the warm tabouleh salad listed above, but served cold and best during summer months). Cook bulgur and let cool. Once cool, toss with sliced fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, olives (black or kalamata), red onion, crumbled feta, and homemade creamy balsamic vinaigrette. Hearty, fresh, and delicious!

This bulgur, carrot, and mushroom side dish is really tasty:

http://www.chow.com/recipes/11227?tag=search_results;results_list

I make a cold lunch salad with cooked bulgur, shredded carrots, thinly sliced fennel, and pistachios--actually, the recipe's being printed in Sunset's May issue!

Bulgur is also a good base for vegetarian burgers--these are delicious:
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/BULGUR-VEGGIE-BURGERS-WITH-LIME-MAYONNAISE-242594

Bulgur Fennel Pilaf.

It's a New Vegetarian Epicure recipe. (pg 131, for you folks who have the amber-tone cover with the line-drawing girl with long hair and a fork in her hand. yes, we use the recipe so much I've got it memorized.)

We love this recipe. We use this recipe at least once a month. This recipe introduced us to fennel. and raisins and pinenuts in pilaf as a holy duo.

Also, toss a good sized handful into the Moosewood Lowfat Cooking Festive Black Bean Chili, to give it a nubby texture that feels very satisfying.

Kibbeh!!! It's sooo good, and uses a lot of bulgur. Make a lot and use for leftovers --- stuff it in a pita with some hummus and cucumber sauce and tabouli on the side --- my mouth is watering just thinking about it.

i'm with LRayWag on this one!

in the morning before work i'll add two cups of boiling water to one cup medium grain bulgur and a pinch of salt and cover the bulgur with a lid (i use a plate that fits perfectly on top of my "bulgur bowl").

i'll let that sit on the counter until i get home from work at which point i will chop up some veggies and herbs (anything on hand works but tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, mint and parsley are the most traditional combination) and toss them into the bulgur with olive oil, lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste.

slap that in the fridge while you cook up a beautiful piece of chicken or fish and you have dinner.

Zey - I think the ratio is 1:2, 1 cups bulgur and 2 cups water.
I also add a little tomato paste or spicy pepper paste and sometimes pre-boiled chickpeas to my bulgur. Yum!

Thanks for clarifying. :)

Also, I love mercimekli kofte! That would be a great thing to make with bulgur as well.

oh Kiepe, that's what the GOYA calls it. My mother in law makes these awesome fried bulgur wrapped beef balls. i dont know any other way to describe it but basically she sautees beef and takes soaked bulgur, forms a pocket and spoons the beef in it, then fries.
everytime we visit, she has to make them for me.

It's nice to fill out a vegetarian chili with bulgar wheat, I think. Chipotle puree, lots of beans, zucchini, and everything else in the fridge!

I second that, lotusmoss. I toss a handful of bulgur into my stews, soups, and chilis to bulk them up for my vegetarian husband.