HEALTHY FOOD so TASTY you'll
want to eat it EVERYDAY.
RECIPE: MINTY SWEET & NUTTY BULGUR
This recipe came about quite by accident, as Jac & I were doing cooking demonstrations at the Burghley Horse Trials, and I randomly decided to use a few things we had on hand to showcase how efficiently the Wonderbag was for cooking grains. Our customers (and fellow stall-owners) loved it, so a few tests and refinements later (with input from my crazy South African chef-friend Murray Weiner), and voila!
The fun thing about this recipe is that it works for breakfast, lunch, snack AND dinner. You'll be reaching for it all week!
PREP TIME: 10 min
COOK TIME: 30 min
SERVES: 3 - 4 as a main, 6-8 as a side
INGREDIENTS
TO COOK THE BULGUR:
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1 TBSP olive oil or coconut oil (or any plant-based oil)
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1 sachet TASTE OF LEBANON spice blend
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1 ½ cup (270 g) bulgur wheat, rinsed
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½ cup raisins
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¾ tsp salt
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3 cups (720 ml) water
TO SERVE
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½ cup (15 g) fresh mint, finely chopped
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½ cup (70 g) almonds, coarsely chopped
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Further salt to taste
Salt, olive oil (or coconut oil) bulgur wheat, cinnamon, raisins, onion and TASTE TRAVELS Lebanon Spice Blend. Click here to buy.
Add chopped fresh mint and almonds.
COOK THE BULGUR
CONVENTIONAL METHOD
1) Heat a 1 ½ quart (2 litre) pot on medium-high. Add oil TASTE OF LEBANON spice blend and bulgur and cook for 1 minute to activate the spices.
2) Add the raisins, salt and water, increase heat to high and bring to a boil.
3) Reduce heat to low and simmer covered for 30 minutes*, or until all water is absorbed and the bulgur is softened
Stir occasionally and add more water if the water evaporates before the bulgur is fully cooked.
WONDERBAG METHOD
1) Heat a 1 ½ quart (2 litre) pot on medium-high. Add oil TASTE OF LEBANON spice blend and bulgur and cook for 1 minute to activate the spices.
2) Add the raisins, salt and water, increase heat to high and bring to a boil.
3) Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for 5 minutes.
4) Seal your lidded pot in the Wonderbag and leave to cook for 30 minutes* while you prep your serving ingredients.
SERVE
Stir in the fresh mint and chopped almonds and then further salt to taste if needed.
Recipe & Photo Credits: Cathy Menees
COOKS NOTES
BULGUR COOKING PROCESS
* I've seen in the US that some bulgur comes rinsed and partially cooked, so the cooking instructions might call for 15 minutes on the stove. Just be sure to read the label and adjust your cooking time as needed.
BUYING MINT
I noticed that I lost about ½ of the weight of the packet of mint when I stripped the leaves from the stems. So for planning, you want to buy about 30g of mint to end of with 15g of leaves for chopping.
PAIRING
The cinnamon in this dish makes it ‘strong’ so if you’re going to serve this as a side dish, it will pair well with stronger cuts of meat, versus a delicate white fish. So pair it with the dark meat of chicken or duck, as well as both pork and lamb chops.
