Kisir, my mum's tabbouleh
A Sunday lunch favourite of my mum’s, I remember the smell of warm bulgur filling our house in the summertime and waiting eagerly at our kitchen table to eat it wrapped in tender romaine lettuce leaves.
These days I love using sorrel leaves for their fantastic sour flavour (and because they grow so abundantly in Grandma’s garden) and it goes especially well as a side salad with sigara börek.
Kisir is better known to many as tabbouleh, but the Turkish version that Mum and Grandma make uses a much more generous proportion of sweet paprika-seasoned bulgur than the store-bought or Lebanese variety, and makes it a more substantial salad that could be work well as a side salad or even just on its own.
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups fine bulgur
1 red capsicum
1/2 green capsicum
1 bunch spring onion
2 ripe tomatoes
2 cups parsley
5 tsp sweet paprika
2 tsp dried mint
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp salt
1 lemon, juiced
1/2 cup olive oil
Sorrel or romaine lettuce leaves, to serve
Method
Wash the bulgur through a very fine sieve until the water runs clear then press out as much of the water from the grains as possible. The washing and kneading will being cooking the bulgur so work quickly.
Transfer the washed and drained bulgur into a microwave safe bowl, cover with cling wrap and piece the wrap a couple of times with a fork. Microwave on high for 1:30 minutes (or until the bulgur is al dente). Remove the cling and immediately begin stirring and airing the hot bulgur, breaking up any clumps you see. Set aside to cool, stirring occasionally while you prepare the other ingredients.
Finely dice (into cubes smaller than 1cm if you have the patience) the red and green capsicum, spring onion, tomatoes and parsley (with stalks).
Once the bulgur has cooled, transfer it to a large bowl and add the paprika. Using the back of a spoon, coat the bulgur with the paprika with rapid cutting motions. (Simply stirring doesn’t work here.) This will ensure each little grain is covered in the sweet paprika’s flavour and colour and maintain it’s delicate fluffiness. Once you have thoroughly coated all of the bulgur in paprika, add the mint, pepper and salt and stir through normally.
Add the diced vegetables and stir well to combine. Add the lemon and olive oil and stir again, checking the seasoning every now and then.
Serve in a bed of sorrel leaves or in romaine lettuce cups. Delicious and fresh.
This recipe serves 4 as a meal or 6 as a side salad, and the leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.
