Recipes

(Recipe) Kisir spicy bulgur salad in lettuce cups

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(Recipe) Kisir Spicy Bulgur Salad in Lettuce Cups

Serves 4 – 6

This dish is Yasmin Khan’s version of kisir, a Turkish bulgur salad that traditionally uses a hot pepper paste known as biber salçasi to add heat. In this recipe from Khan’s cookbook Ripe Figs: Recipes and Stories from Turkey, Greece, and Cyprus, she recommends substituting a little extra Aleppo-style pepper if you can’t find it. Pomegranate molasses adds enough sour-sweet flavor to round out the dish. Serve it in a large salad bowl, or nestle scoops of it in lettuce leaves.

Recipe from bonappetit.com

Ingredients

Dressing

5 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
3 Tbsp. pomegranate molasses
1 Tbsp. plus 1½ tsp. double-concentrated tomato paste
1 tsp. Aleppo-style pepper
1 tsp. biber salçasi (Turkish hot pepper paste) or more Aleppo-style pepper to taste Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper

Salad and assembly

1 cup bulgur
½ cup raw walnuts
3 small ripe tomatoes, cored, finely chopped
1 Persian cucumber, finely chopped
3 scallions, finely chopped
1 cup parsley leaves, finely chopped
1 cup mint leaves, finely chopped
¼ cup pomegranate seeds, Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
2 heads Little Gem lettuce or romaine hearts, leaves separated

Instructions

Whisk oil, lemon juice, pomegranate molasses, tomato paste, Aleppo-style pepper, and biber salçasi in a small bowl to combine; season dressing with salt and black pepper.
Cook bulgur according to package directions. Let cool until just warm. Transfer to a medium bowl and mix in dressing.
Meanwhile, toast walnuts in a dry small skillet over medium heat, tossing often, until golden brown, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board. Let cool slightly, then finely chop.
Add walnuts, tomatoes, cucumber, scallions, parsley, mint, and pomegranate seeds to bulgur and toss well; season with salt and pepper.
Arrange lettuce leaves in a single layer on a platter and spoon some salad into each leaf.