Bulgur Pilaf with Freekeh, Green Beans and Red Onions
By Ozlem Warren - http://ozlemsturkishtable.com/
Ozlem: 'I hope you enjoy this delicious and wholesome bulgur with super grain freekeh or firik, combined with green beans, red onions and garlic. Runner beans, green beans or dwarf beans would all work well in this recipe; they are delicious combined with red onions, freekeh and bulgur. I like to serve this wholesome pilaf with Turkish red pepper flakes or chili flakes on top, accompanied by a dollop of yoghurt or with refreshing Cacik dip of yoghurt, cucumber and dried mint.'
Serves: 6
- 350gr/12oz/2 cups coarse bulgur, rinsed and drained
- 225gr/8oz/ generous 1 cup firik or freekeh, rinsed and drained
- 1 medium red onion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
- 300 gr/ 11 oz./ 2 cups green, runner or dwarf beans, trimmed and cut into 3 cm / 1” long pieces
- 400 gr/ 14 oz. can of chopped tomatoes or 3 ripe tomatoes, finely chopped
- 60 ml / 4 tbsp. olive oil
- 2 pints/ 5 cups of hot water
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- Red pepper flakes or chili flakes to serve
- Dollop of plain yoghurt to serve
Trim the green beans and cut into 3 cm / 1” long pieces. If you are using runner beans, also slice them lengthways.
Heat 3 tbsp. olive oil in a heavy pot and stir in the red onions and green, runner or dwarf beans. Stir and sauté gently for 2-3 minutes over medium to high heat.
Pour in the remaining 1 tbsp. olive oil and stir in the garlic, rinsed bulgur and freekeh, combine all well with green beans and red onions.
Stir in the chopped tomatoes and hot water, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to your taste. Combine well.
Bring the pot to the boil. Then cover, reduce the heat and simmer on low heat for about 20 minutes or until all the water has been absorbed.
Turn the heat off. Cover the pan with a clean kitchen paper towel and place the lid firmly on top (the paper towel will absorb any excess moisture). Rest the pilaf for 5-10 minutes before serving.
Serve the bulgur pilaf with frekeeh and green beans hot with Turkish red pepper flakes, pul biber sprinkled over, if you like. Refreshing Cacik Dip of diced cucumbers and dried mint with yoghurt or plain yoghurt complement this bulgur & freekeh pilaf very well.
Notes
Runner beans, green beans or dwarf beans would all work well in this recipe; they are delicious combined with red onions, freekeh and bulgur. Bulgur is widely available now in supermarkets and you can find freekeh in specialty, Turkish or Middle Eastern stores.
