Turkish Bulgur Pilaf (Bulgur Pilavi)

About This Recipe

Bulgur pilavi is one of the most common side dishes in Turkish home cooking, made from coarse bulgur wheat simmered with tomato paste, onion, and green pepper until each grain is tender but distinct. Bulgur, cracked and parboiled wheat, has been a staple grain across Anatolia for centuries, prized for cooking faster than rice while carrying a nuttier, more textured bite. The technique that defines a good pilav is toasting the bulgur briefly in oil with the sauteed vegetables before adding hot liquid, which coats each grain in fat so they cook up separate and fluffy rather than clumped. Using hot stock rather than cold water, and letting the pilaf rest covered off the heat for ten minutes at the end, are the two details Turkish cooks insist on -- the resting period lets the steam finish the cooking evenly. Served alongside grilled meats, stews, or simply with a bowl of yogurt, bulgur pilavi is the everyday backbone of a Turkish dinner table -- humble, filling, and endlessly paired with whatever else is cooking.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 2 tbspbutter
• 1 tbspolive oil
• 1onion(diced)
• 1green bell pepper(diced)
• 2 tbsptomato paste
• 1tomato(diced)
• 1.5 cupscoarse bulgur
• 2.5 cupshot chicken or vegetable stock
• 1 tspsalt
• 0.5 tspblack pepper

Instructions

1. 1

   Saute the vegetables

   Melt butter with olive oil in a pot over medium heat. Add onion and green pepper, cook 5-6 minutes until softened.

2. 2

   Add tomato

   Stir in tomato paste and cook 1-2 minutes until it darkens slightly, then add diced tomato and cook 3 minutes more.

3. 3

   Toast the bulgur

   Add bulgur and stir to coat in the fat and tomato mixture, toasting 1-2 minutes.

4. 4

   Add stock

   Pour in hot stock, add salt and pepper, and bring to a boil.

5. 5

   Simmer

   Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 15 minutes without lifting the lid, until liquid is absorbed.

6. 6

   Rest and fluff

   Remove from heat and let rest, covered, 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork before serving.

Variations

• •

  Add small pasta (tel sehriye) toasted with the bulgur for the classic sehriyeli pilav texture.

• •

  Stir in cooked chickpeas for a heartier, one-pot vegetarian meal.

• •

  Use fine bulgur instead of coarse for a softer, quicker-cooking pilaf.

Storage

Refrigerate in an airtight container up to 4 days. Reheat with a splash of water or stock in a covered pan over low heat, or microwave with a damp paper towel over the bowl.

Frequently Asked Questions