Bulgur Fried Rice Style Recipes

CHINESE FRIED BULGUR

Steps:

• Put bulgur in pot & pour boiling water over it. Stir, cover and let sit for 30 minutes to absorb water.
• Put 1 tsp oil in nonstick fry pan. Pour in egg, let cook as omelet. Remove from pan and cut egg into slivers and set aside.
• Add remaining oil to pan. Saute onion and carrots, when onion begins to turn golden, add green peas. Cook until peas are soft.
• Add bulgur and mix well. Add soy sauce to taste, mix well. Add egg, mix, and reheat.

BULGUR MUJADARA

Steps:

• Make the mujadara: Bring lentils and 4 cups of water to a boil in a medium pot over high. Reduce heat to low and simmer until lentils are partly cooked, 12 to 18 minutes. Taste a lentil to see if it's tender but still has a bite. The timing depends on the lentil variety: Black and le Puy need the most time; green needs the least. Remove from heat.
• Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a medium frying pan over medium-high. Add the onions and cook, stirring regularly, until deep golden brown and starting to crisp, 15 to 20 minutes. It is important to get them to this point because dark onions give mujadara its distinctive dark color and flavor. Onions go from deep brown to burned very quickly, so be sure to remove from the heat before they burn.
• Pour the onions with the oil over the lentils, and stir in the salt and cumin. Add the bulgur, bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to lowest setting and simmer, covered, until fully cooked, 10 to 15 minutes. Check on the mujadara periodically: If the bulgur and lentils are not fully cooked but the water has evaporated, add a few tablespoons of water and continue to cook until done. Place a tea towel or paper towels under the lid and let sit for 15 minutes.
• If you are making the optional topping, prepare it while the mujadara rests: Heat about 1 inch vegetable oil in a small saucepan over medium to 350 degrees or until a small morsel of bread bubbles and immediately rises to the top. Cut the onion in half and slice through the core to create very thin crescents. Place onions in a medium bowl, sprinkle with the cornstarch and toss to combine. Working in small batches, carefully add to hot oil and fry, stirring occasionally for even browning, until crisp and golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels until dry and crispy, about 2 minutes.
• To serve, transfer mujadara to a serving platter and top with crispy onions, if using.

BULGUR FRIED RICE STYLE

Steps:

• 1. About 1 hour before the other steps, pour the boiling water over the bulgur and allow the grain to swell and soften, soaking up almost all the water. You can speed this up by reheating or by cooking according to package directions.
• 2. Lightly oil, if necessary, a large, stick-free covered saute pan. Heat to medium. Pour the lightly beaten eggs into the pan and swirl to make a thin layer of egg. Cook the egg until dry, scraping and flipping as necessary but not really scrambling. Ideally, you want a thin sheet of cooked egg but just get as close as you can.
• 3. Wipe any remaining egg out of the pan and raise the heat a bit. Heat about 1 tablespoon of oil and saute the shallot and garlic briefly.
• 4. Drain the thawed vegetables if very wet. Add to the pan and saute until heated through and any hard vegetables, like carrots start to soften. Cover as needed to steam the vegetables but boil off excess water.
• 5. Optionally, stir in any meat or seafood and heat through.
• 6. Optionally, add a bit of Chinese Five-Spice or other spice to taste.
• 7. Stir in the softened bulgur and heat through. While heating, stir in the sesame oil, fish sauce, and soy sauce, adjusting the amounts of each to taste.
• 8. Cut the cooked egg into ribbons or small pieces. Stir into bulgur and veggie mixture.
• 9. Optionally, stir in or garnish with cilantro leaves.
• 10. Serve hot.