Bulgur pilaf in red sauce – Pilafi

A bulgur pilaf flavoured simply with tomatoes and cumin. If you are looking for an easy meal with minimum ingredients but full of flavour then this is it! Bulgur pilaf is one of my favourite sides for a meat dish but it can also be sufficient on its own with just some salad and yoghurt.

In Cyprus we call it “pourkouri” or “pligouri” or “pilafi” and is one of the most common dishes they serve when you eat out at the taverns… Together with lots more other dishes as always. It is made using “fide”, which is essentially crushed angel hair pasta. You can find fide in a packet already crushed or you can buy the pasta and crush it with your hands.

Bulgur is essentially cracked wheat, slightly boiled and then dehydrated. It comes in different types based on the grain size: fine, medium or coarse. I typically prefer the medium grain as it has more texture but my family prefers the fine grain, which is what I usually cook with. When cooking each type they actually require different amounts of water to cook, so you can’t just substitute the type of bulgur in this recipe without changing the amount of water.

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Bulgur pilaf in red sauce – Pilafi

Prep Time

5 mins

Cook Time

30 mins

Cooling time

20 mins

Total Time

35 mins

 

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Mediterranean

Servings: 5

Author: Eleni Georges

Ingredients

• 3 tbs olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 tbs cumin, not heaped
• ½ cup angel hair pasta crushed in pieces
• 1 ½ cup passata
• 5 cups warm water
• 1 ½ cups fine bulgur
• 1 tsp salt
• ¼ tsp pepper

Instructions

1. Heat the olive oil in a pot on a medium heat. Cook the onion for 2min, just enough to soften then add the angel hair to fry as well. Let that cook until the pasta changes colour to a darker brown. Keep stirring so that the pasta and onion cook evenly and don’t burn.
2. Once that is done stir in the cumin for a minute or until it becomes fragrant. Add the rest of the ingredients to the pot, bring to the boil and then simmer for 20min.
3. It is important to keep stirring otherwise the bulgur may get stuck to the bottom. The liquid is absorbed very quickly which is another reason why you should keep stirring.
4. Once the time is up, cover the pot with a towel and then the lid. Let it rest off the heat for about 20-30min before serving. Place the cooked bulgur in a bowl to serve and fluff it up with a fork. Serve with a salad and some yoghurt or as a side to another dish.

Recipe Notes

The serving size will vary depending on how you serve the dish. If you are serving this with just a salad it will be enough for 5-6 people.