Kisir (Turkish tabbouleh)

NOTE: This recipe with the quantities listed makes a huge amount.

NOTE: Cool bulgur before mixing the salad

2 cups (304 grams) of no. 1 fine bulgur [coarser may work better] ;; available
at DK Market or Oskoo
3 cups of hot water
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon pepper paste .. Zergut Pindjar is mild, works fine, can omit
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 bunch green onions, finely chopped
1 small onion, cut in thin half rounds
1 bunch flat leaf parsley, *FINELY* chopped (DO NOT OMIT OR USE DRY)
1 cucumber, seeded and finely chopped
1-2 banana peppers, finely chopped (can sub Anaheim or omit)
2 tablespoons pomegranate syrup
lemon juice to taste
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (can omit - leave out for Karen/Juli)
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
few mint leaves, minced very fine if available
1 tsp cumin


Put tomato paste and pepper paste in a big bowl and combine with boiling water,
whisking to dissolve the pastes. Add bulgur and salt. Stir once. Cover with a
thick kitchen towel and let it soak for 10-20 minutes. After, if the bulgur is
not tender, add a little water and microwave for 2-3 minutes. The bulgur has to
be easily chewable.

Cut the onion in half first, then into very thin half-moon shapes. In a little
bowl, knead onion with 1 tsp salt. Rinse salt and squeeze water. Taste - if it
still tastes too much like raw onion, briefly saute in a little olive oil.

Fluff bulgur with a fork. Add pepper flakes, ground pepper, cumin, mint flakes,
oil, pomegranate syrup, lemon juice, and onion. Mix well. At this point
taste to see if it needs more lemon juice. Kisir should be a little bit sour.

Add banana peppers, green onions, cucumber, and parsley. Mix well.

Kisir is served and eaten with lettuce leaves and tomatoes. Don't add tomatoes
to kisir, because tomatoes make it mushy. So kisir is usually served on a
lettuce bed (you can wrap some kisir in a lettuce leaf and eat like that) with
slices of tomato on the side.

NOTE: no. 1 fine bulgur weighs 38 grams per 1/4 cup volume