I just realized I’ve been making this salad for six or seven years, and every time I make it I seem to add something more, to the point where by now it’s less of a bulgur salad than a salad with some bulgur in it.
Are you sitting there wondering what bulgur is? It’s sometimes (incorrectly) called cracked wheat; I was able to find it in our regular supermarket in Slovakia, and here in California it’s a bulk-bin staple. No longer an obscure health food item, it’s a bit heartier than couscous but occupies a similar niche. And it’s extremely easy to prepare, which endeared it to me from day one.
The first time I remember eating bulgur was in Bulgaria – no, really! I was in Sofia for a meeting and my colleague took me to a Lebanese restaurant where I nibbled my way through a rather vast array of hummus, toasts, and tabbouleh, which of course is a kind of herb salad with bulgur. It takes a lot to tear me away from Bulgarian food, especially in situ, but that was a really memorable meal. This salad is another category entirely, but I think you’ll find it’s a tasty place to be.
Bulgur salad with chickpeas, feta and lots of other things
adapted from epicuriousI just keep adding stuff to this salad, and this recipe reflects the most recent iteration. You can definitely change the ingredients around as you like; you could probably even swap the bulgur for quinoa or something else. Grain salads are like that, which is one of the reasons I love them.
Ingredients
Serves four as a substantial side dish
- 1 cup plus 2 Tbs water
- 1 cup bulgur
- 1 tsp salt
- ¾ cup frozen peas
- 1 can chickpeas
- 3 medium tomatoes (about 1 cup), diced
- 3 scallions, sliced thin
- 1 small carrot, sliced into thin coins
- ⅓ cup chopped fresh parsley (a good handful)
- 1½ cups baby arugula
- zest from one lemon
- 3 Tbs lemon juice
- ½ cup crumbled feta cheese
Method
- In a small pot, bring the water to a boil, add the salt, bulgur, and peas and stir. Cover and remove from heat; allow to stand for 20 minutes or until all the water is absorbed.
- Dump out the bulgur and peas into a large bowl, fluff with a fork and allow to cool.
- Toss with the remaining ingredients and serve.
