Bulgur pilaf with nuts and raisins

April 1, 2010  •  Category:

 

My dear friend Phoebe Hanna is widely praised for  her bulgur dish; she graciously accepted to share her recipe. She makes it in approximately 10 minutes and it takes about 20 minutes to cook.


This dish is  loved with no reservations by her Persian, American, Mexican and Egyptian friends; my neighbor Mary, an Irish-American loved it so much she requested the recipe and she does not usually cook; Jose, her Mexican friend, eats it for breakfast;  the main thing is to secure a coarse bulgur, referred to as #4 (or #3) and preferably an unbleached one; your best bet is to  get it  at your specialty or middle-eastern grocer.

INGREDIENTS:

  • 2 cups of coarse bulgur #4, preferably unbleached
  • 3 small vegetable bouillon cubes
  • 2 cups of water
  • 2 cups of assorted nuts, toasted in a skillet with a bit of fat
  • 1 cup of dark or light raisins, soaked in hot water for one hour to plump them up (optional step)
  • olive oil as needed
  • black pepper, dash of allspice, dash of ground cinnamon

METHOD:

  1. Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a pot; add the bulgur and stir continuously for 5 minutes until the grains are well coated with fat and become somewhat translucent; add the spices, stir and add the water and bouillon cubes. Boil for 3 minutes, then lower the heat, cover and simmer until cooked, about 20 minutes.
  2. Serve by fluffing with a fork and mixing the raisins and toasted nuts.

NOTE: You may wish to offer some yogurt with this dish, which is how we would normally eat it in Lebanon.

Comments

34 Comments  •  Comments Feed

  1. Sushma Mallya says:

    That seems simple and easy…

  2. Priya says:

    Such a prefect way to enjoy bulgur, with those nuts and raisins looks fabulous..

  3. MaryMoh says:

    Looks very healthy and delicious. Love the nuts and raisins.

  4. Rosa says:

    That is a healthy dish! What a lovely and unusual combination!

    Cheers,

    Rosa

  5. My Carolina Kitchen says:

    What a lovely bulgur dish. It must be nice and chewy with the nuts and raisins. We’ve always used the common packaged variety of bulgur found in US grocery stores. I’ll have to go to the health food store (I don’t think we have a Middle Eastern store here) and look for the #4. Please tell Phoebe thanks for sharing her recipe.
    Sam

  6. T.W. Barritt says:

    How nice! I like to make bulgur, but sometimes I am a little lazy when it comes to chopping up vegetables. The use of nuts and raisins solves that problem, and adds a unique flavor.

  7. Erica says:

    I love visiting your site! All your recipes are different and delicious…..Great flavors 🙂

  8. Stella says:

    This sounds so wonderful, Joumana. I always put bulgur in soups, but I might try this soon-so healthful. Oh, and I automatically like people named Hannah or any version of this name-my sweet sister is called ‘Hannah Banana’….

  9. Bria says:

    Good stuff! Tell Phoebe thank you. We have a similar Persian dish featuring raisins and caramelized onions, and lentils, but this I must try. I’m always looking for ways to get those fiber rich whole grains onto my plate.

  10. SE says:

    Hey…recipe looks good…we use bulgar wheat too…we make a dish called upma..

  11. Edilene says:

    Olá, amiga!
    Passei para uma visitinha…
    Seu cantinho é lindo, nutritivo e de bom gosto.
    Muita paz, saúde e sucesso!…

    F E L I Z P Á S C O A!!!

           ( ),,( )
           (=’:’=)
      ﻶﻉჱﻶﻉ═¤═(,,)♥(,,)═¤═ﻶﻉჱﻶﻉ

    Com carinho, para você e sua família…

    Itabira – Brasil   

  12. Cara says:

    I love the combination of fruit and nuts, I’m not surprised this dish is so universally enjoyed! Thanks for sharing – I have some bulgur that I never think to use and now I certainly will 🙂

  13. Arlette says:

    Bulghur is my favourite grain, and we are used to eat it more than rice.
    so to me anything include burghul , frekheh is delicious without doubt.
    Your photos is so calling me this morning…
    What will you friend do when you go back home…???

  14. Nadjibella says:

    Je viens manger chez toi quand tu veux.
    je suis toujours épatée par ce que tu nous présentes.
    Joyeuses Pâques et à bientôt.

  15. Joanne says:

    This pilaf sounds delicious! I love the mixture of raisins and nuts.

  16. Katie@Cozydelicious says:

    I am going to have to hunt down some coarse bulgur. This looks wonderful! And simple and easy, which, of course, is key. I’m wondering if it might even be yummy for breakfast. Thank you (and thanks to Phoebe)!

  17. Doria says:

    Que de découvertes sur ton blog !
    Merci beaucoup pour ce partage.
    Je te souhaite de bonnes fêtes de Pâques,
    Bisous, Doria

  18. Diane-plop says:

    Merci à toi (désolée je ne connais pas ton prénom).
    Je te souhaite de bonnes fêtes de Pâques.
    Merci beaucoup de tes visites.
    Patricia – La Table de Pénélope

  19. Doc says:

    Yummy. I am really likng that as I am always on the look out for bulgur wheat recipes. Is Lebanese yogurt thick like greek?

  20. Snježa says:

    Ovo izgleda prekrasno i jednostavno! Preukusno!

  21. Cathy at Wives with says:

    The nuts and raisins make this irresistible…and so healthy too.

  22. Lydia says:

    What a perfect side dish! I love cashews and raisins, and though I always have bulgur in the pantry, I don’t have a huge variety of bulgur dishes in my repertoire. I’m definitely bookmarking this one.

  23. Mary says:

    This really does look wonderful and I happen to love bulger. I have bookmaked your recipe and will try in the very near future. I hope you are having a wonderful day. Blessings…Mary

  24. Pj says:

    such a wonderful bulgar salad with nuts and raisins! looks so healthy and delicious.

  25. Von says:

    Wow! This sounds really good! I’ve never actually heard of bulgur before…..but it souonds really interesting!

  26. OysterCulture says:

    I picked up a bag of bulgur the other day, feeling compelled to make something with it, just not sure what. Now I know, it was to have on hand to discover a wonderful recipe, like you presented here. Thanks to you and Phoebe for sharing!

  27. heni says:

    Wow this dish traveled a bit! Interesting flavours here, i could imagine myself eating this for breakfast!

  28. NANSI says:

    Hi Jumana! I like to comment after trying recipes out, I gave this one a shot, made it next to mashawy evening, it was DELICIOUS!!! Everyone just loved it, it was soooo easy to make, no mess no fuss, this will be a staple around here. Thanks so much for sharing, a keeper for sure. Love the taste of nuts and raisins together with the bulgur.

  29. amanda Randolph says:

    What a perfect alternative to traditional rice! I made this with cinnamon spiced chicken. Everyone loved it!

  30. Jules says:

    I just found this receipe tonight and made it for dinner just now. It was very delicious and so easy to make. Thanks a lot for sharing!

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