Bulgur Pilavı

Bulgur pilavı is Turkish bulgur wheat cooked with onion, tomato paste and butter. It is a simple side dish, eaten hot with kebabs, grilled meat or stews, and it has a soft, slightly chewy texture unlike the fluffy rice pilaf.

What it really is

Onion is softened in butter until pale and sweet. Tomato paste is stirred in and cooked briefly until it darkens and loses its raw taste. Bulgur is added and turned in the fat until every grain is coated, then hot water is poured over and the pan is covered. It is simmered over low heat until the water is absorbed and the grains are tender, and salt is added to taste. Some cooks use oil in place of butter, and some use stock in place of water. The result is moist, lightly tinted with tomato and nutty.

Bulgur pilavı is a grain side, not a soup or a salad. It is cooked until the liquid is fully absorbed. Cooks vary in how much tomato paste they use and how soft they cook the grains.

How it's served

• Hot, mounded on a plate beside the main dish.
• Usually with grilled meat, kebabs or a stew.
• Often with a little butter on top, or with yoghurt and salad on the side.

How to write it on the menu

• Name the grain: bulgur wheat, so guests know it is not rice.
• Flag wheat, from the bulgur, and milk, from the butter. If the kitchen uses oil instead, say so.
• Say the dish is cooked with onion and tomato paste, so guests know what to expect.
• Ask the kitchen whether meat stock is used, and state the answer on the menu.