How to Cook Bulgur Wheat Perfectly Every Time

This simple recipe shows you how to cook bulgur wheat perfectly every time, you can then turn it into Tabbouleh or serve it as a simple side.

What is Bulgur Wheat?

The name kind of gives it away a little, bulgur wheat is made from groats of different types of wheat.

First of all we must take a minute to appreciate the word “groat” how wonderful is that? It means the hulled kernel of a grain.

Anyway, those groats are then cracked and then par boiled.

The last part of the previous sentence is the defining characteristic of bulgur wheat and it is the secret too cooking it.

The Cooking Secret.

The secret is that it does not need cooking!

Seriously it needs steeping in hot water. I used to boil mine in stock for years until I worked this out.

You need the same weight of water as you have bulgur wheat and then cover it with cling film and job done.

The texture is perfect, soft but almost with a chewy texture.

I love the stuff and use it pretty much interchangeably with couscous.

Serving Suggestions.

Aside from a mild nutty flavour bulgur wheat offers little on the flavour front.

It is however a wonderful texture and great at carrying flavour.

Depending on the recipe I am pairing it with I will treat it in different ways after it has been cooked.

In the pomegranate chicken breast pictured above I toss it through the hot pan that the chicken was cooked in.

With the butternut squash tagine it is simply hit up with loads of fresh herbs and a squeeze of lemon.

With my Moroccan beef meatballs I toss cooked bulgur in a pan with cooked chickpeas and harissa paste.

You can, of course, turn it into the classic tabbouleh salad, just add the following:

• Parsley: As much as you can lay your hands on!
• Tomatoes: Deseeded without negotiation, deskinned if you can be bothered.
• Cucumber: Again deseeded.
• Dressing: Lemon Juice, Olive Oil, Mint and Garlic.