[Sca-cooks] 15th C. Ottoman Bulghur w/Chestnuts

Pixel, Goddess and Queen pixel at hundred-acre-wood.com
Thu Sep 20 06:21:37 PDT 2007


On Wed, 19 Sep 2007, Phil Troy / G. Tacitus Adamantius wrote:

> On Sep 19, 2007, at 8:19 PM, Lilinah wrote:
>
>> Bulghur - Based on my reading of other recipes, it is likely that the
>> Ottomans prepared bulghur either with broth or water. Broth would be
>> more flavorful, so that what i plan to do. It is quite edible if just
>> soaked in liquid and not actually cooked over a fire. Modern bulghur
>> pilavs simmer the bulghur about 25 min. But if i can keep a burner
>> free, that would be nice. Any opinions, based on cooking and/or
>> eating bulghur, as to whether i should just soak the bulghur in hot
>> broth (which would free up a stove burner) or actually put it over
>> the fire?
>
> Bulgur's steamed before drying, I'm pretty sure, so you can pour
> boiling water over it in the right proportions, and it'll soak it up
> and "cook", if it's not too coarse and you stir occasionally... this
> assumes you don't want it _really_ soft.
>
> I've cooked bulgur in food service operations, when no one was
> looking, with hot water from the coffee urn ;-). People kept asking
> what my secret for perfect bulgur was.
>
> Adamantius

Modernly and commercially it's steamed, but you can boil it if you don't 
have the facilities to steam it. Then you dry it, then crush it. I 
experimented with making bulghur earlier this summer (using the boiling 
method), and although it's nifty in the "I made that!" sort of way, it's 
more work than I care to expend, most times. I'll just buy it at the 
grocery store, TYVM.

OTOH, the repeat of pomegranate jalab was successful. No toffee syrup, 
this time. ;-)

Margaret FitzWilliam



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