The moment you start planning a bbq for your family or friends there is always that one question: what do we serve along with the grilled meat and sausages? Well… here in Germany most of the time people will probably go for a simple potato salad or pasta salad because people like those salads and they will complain the least about them… oooor you could make this delicious Bulgur Salad aka. Kisir. You will definitely not hear any complaints about that one either. Pretty sure about that ;P
I do not know exactly when I discovered bulgur salad for me. It’s been a while though. There were times when I got myself a little bowl of bulgur salad almost every day of the week when I was passing by a Turkish market on the way home from work. That salad, some olives, and bread were my go-to dinner for quite a while. Even though the bulgur salad tasted delicious, the store-bought version from that Turkish market tended to be either too dry or too oily – depending on how long the salad had been sitting around that day I guess ;)
Too dry or too oily – neither one of these is something you want for your bulgur salad. The solution to that problem is quite simple. Make the salad yourself. Then you know it’s fresh and you’ll have the power over the amount of oil being added to the salad ;P Luckily, making your bulgur salad is quite easy. OK – you need quite a selection of ingredients so it tastes good, but if you cook on a regular basis, you will have most of those ingredients at home. Some exceptions, of course.
Making bulgur salad does not require much cooking skills – the salad is really easy to prepare. Cook the bulgur and let it soak up all the water, cook some chopped onions and garlic with veggie pastes to create a red sauce, chop some additional veggies, mix everything and you got a nice salad already. Something that goes well with meat, sausages, etc. – or you can serve the salad as it is as the main dish with just some pita bread or something like that on the side. That’s what I normally do ;)
Anyway. Bulgur salad stays fresh in the fridge for at least 2-3 days. Freshen it up with some lemon just before serving and it will be as delicious as it was on the first day. Ideal for meal prepping I’d say.
INGREDIENTS / ZUTATEN
(4 servings)
For the salad:
7 oz. (200g) bulgur*
1 3/4 cups (400ml) water
1 red onion, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, finely diced
2-3 tbsp. olive oil for frying
1.8 oz. (50g) tomato paste
1.8 oz. (50g) paprika paste*
1/2 tbsp. paprika powder
1/2 tsp. cumin
5 tbsp. water
3-4 tomatoes (approx. 200g), diced
1/2 cucumber, diced
1/2 bunch flat-leaf parsley, coarsely chopped
2 spring onions, in rings
For the dressing:
1/4 cup (60ml) olive oil
3 tbsp. pomegranate syrup*
2 tbsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
(4 Portionen)
Für den Salat:
200g Bulgur*
400ml Wasser
1 rote Zwiebel, fein gewürfelt
2 Knoblauchzehen, fein gewürfelt
2-3 EL Olivenöl zum Anbraten
50g Tomatenmark
50g Paprikamark*
1/2 EL Paprikapulver
1/2 TL Kreuzkümmel
5 EL Wasser
3-4 Tomaten (ca. 200g), gewürfelt
1/2 Gurke, gewürfelt
1/2 Bund glatte Petersilie, grob gehackt
2 Frühlingszwiebeln, in Ringen
Für das Dressing:
60ml Olivenöl
3 EL Granatapfelsirup*
2 EL Zitronensaft
1/2 TL Salz
1/2 TL Pfeffer
DIRECTIONS / ZUBEREITUNG
1. Add the bulgur and water to a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and let the bulgur gently simmer for about 7-10 minutes until all water has been absorbed. Remove from heat, transfer to a large bowl and let cool down.
2. Peel and finely dice the red onion and garlic. Add the oil to a small saucepan and fry the onions and garlic for about 2-3 minutes until soft and translucent. Add tomato paste, paprika paste, paprika powder, and cumin to the pot, stir well and let cook for 1-2 minutes to get some roasting flavors. Deglaze with the 5 tablespoons of water and mix well. Remove from heat and let cool slightly, then add to the bulgur in the bowl and mix to combine. Set aside.
3. Wash the tomatoes and cut them into small cubes. Cut the cucumber in half lengthwise, remove the seeds, and then cut into small cubes as well. Wash, dry, and roughly chop the parsley. Clean the spring onions and cut them into rings. Add everything to the bowl with the bulgur and mix well.
4. For the dressing, mix the olive oil with pomegranate syrup, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Add to the bulgur and mix well. Cover the salad and let it sit in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. Serve with pita bread and maybe some dips.
1. Bulgur und Wasser in einen Topf geben und aufkochen, dann die Hitzezufuhr reduzieren und den Bulgur für etwa 7-10 Minuten ziehen lassen, bis alles Wasser aufgesogen wurde. Vom Herd nehmen in eine große Schüssel geben und abkühlen lassen.
2. Die rote Zwiebel und den Knoblauch schälen und fein würfeln. Das Öl in einen kleinen Topf geben und die Zwiebeln und den Knoblauch für etwa 2-3 Minuten glasig andünsten. Tomatenmark, Paprikamark, Paprikapulver und Kreuzkümmel in den Topf dazugeben, alles gut vermischen und dann für 1-2 Minuten mit anrösten. Mit den 5 EL Wasser ablöschen und gut verrühren. Vom Herd nehmen und etwas abkühlen lassen, dann zum Bulgur in die Schüssel geben und alles gut vermischen. Zur Seite stellen.
3. Die Tomaten waschen und in kleine Würfel schneiden. Die Gurke längs halbieren, die Samen entfernen und dann ebenfalls in kleine Würfel schneiden. Die Petersilie waschen, trocknen und grob hacken. Frühlingszwiebeln säubern und in Ringe schneiden. Alles zur Schüssel mit dem Bulgur dazugeben und gut vermengen.
4. Für das Dressing das Olivenöl mit Granatapfelsirup, Zitronensaft, Salz und Pfeffer verrühren und dann über den Bulgur geben und alles gut vermischen. Den Salat abdecken und bis zum Servieren mindestens 30 Minuten im Kühlschrank ziehen lassen. Mit Fladenbrot und Dips servieren.
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Here is a version of the recipe you can print easily.
Turkish Bulgur Salad (Kisir)
- Prep Time: 00:20
- Cook Time: 00:10
- Total Time: 01:00
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Salad
- Cuisine: Turkey
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Super easy to prepare and delicious – Turkish Bulgur Salad aka. Kisir is the perfect BBQ salad!
Ingredients
For the salad:
7 oz. (200g) bulgur*
1 3/4 cups (400ml) water
1 red onion, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, finely diced
2–3 tbsp. olive oil for frying
1.8 oz. (50g) tomato paste
1.8 oz. (50g) paprika paste*
1/2 tbsp. paprika powder
1/2 tsp. cumin
5 tbsp. water
3–4 tomatoes (approx. 200g), diced
1/2 cucumber, diced
1/2 bunch flat-leaf parsley, coarsely chopped
2 spring onions, in rings
For the dressing:
1/4 cup (60ml) olive oil
3 tbsp. pomegranate syrup*
2 tbsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
Instructions
1. Add the bulgur and water to a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and let the bulgur gently simmer for about 7-10 minutes until all water has been absorbed. Remove from heat, transfer to a large bowl and let cool down.
2. Peel and finely dice the red onion and garlic. Add the oil to a small saucepan and fry the onions and garlic for about 2-3 minutes until soft and translucent. Add tomato paste, paprika paste, paprika powder, and cumin to the pot, stir well and let cook for 1-2 minutes to get some roasting flavors. Deglaze with the 5 tablespoons of water and mix well. Remove from heat and let cool slightly, then add to the bulgur in the bowl and mix to combine. Set aside.
3. Wash the tomatoes and cut them into small cubes. Cut the cucumber in half lengthwise, remove the seeds, and then cut into small cubes as well. Wash, dry, and roughly chop the parsley. Clean the spring onions and cut them into rings. Add everything to the bowl with the bulgur and mix well.
4. For the dressing, mix the olive oil with pomegranate syrup, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Add to the bulgur and mix well. Cover the salad and let it sit in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. Serve with pita bread and maybe some dips.
Notes
Enjoy cooking!
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I love my job, but in between I love to bake and try new things in the kitchen. A lot of my friends and colleagues encourage me to bake - for a very simple reason: they get the leftovers - and it seems they like it most of the time ;) 
