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Kisir (Spicy Bulgur Salad in Lettuce Cups)

4.3

(3)

Image may contain Plant Food and Produce
Photograph by Alex Lau, food styling by Susie Theodorou, prop styling by Sophie Strangio

This dish is Yasmin Khan’s version of kisir, a Turkish bulgur salad that traditionally uses a hot pepper paste known as biber salçasi to add heat. In this recipe from Khan’s cookbook Ripe Figs: Recipes and Stories from Turkey, Greece, and Cyprus, she recommends substituting a little extra Aleppo-style pepper if you can’t find it. Pomegranate molasses adds enough sour-sweet flavor to round out the dish. Serve it in a large salad bowl, or nestle scoops of it in lettuce leaves.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    4 - 6 Servings

Ingredients

Dressing

5 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
3 Tbsp. pomegranate molasses
1 Tbsp. plus 1½ tsp. double-concentrated tomato paste
1 tsp. Aleppo-style pepper
1 tsp. biber salçasi (Turkish hot pepper paste) or more Aleppo-style pepper to taste
Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper

Salad and assembly

1 cup bulgur
½ cup raw walnuts
3 small ripe tomatoes, cored, finely chopped
1 Persian cucumber, finely chopped
3 scallions, finely chopped
1 cup parsley leaves, finely chopped
1 cup mint leaves, finely chopped
¼ cup pomegranate seeds
Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
2 heads Little Gem lettuce or romaine hearts, leaves separated

Preparation

  1. Dressing

    Step 1

    Whisk oil, lemon juice, pomegranate molasses, tomato paste, Aleppo-style pepper, and biber salçasi in a small bowl to combine; season dressing with salt and black pepper.

  2. Salad and assembly

    Step 2

    Cook bulgur according to package directions. Let cool until just warm. Transfer to a medium bowl and mix in dressing.

    Step 3

    Meanwhile, toast walnuts in a dry small skillet over medium heat, tossing often, until golden brown, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board. Let cool slightly, then finely chop.

    Step 4

    Add walnuts, tomatoes, cucumber, scallions, parsley, mint, and pomegranate seeds to bulgur and toss well; season with salt and pepper.

    Step 5

    Arrange lettuce leaves in a single layer on a platter and spoon some salad into each leaf.

Yasmin Khan's Ripe Figs cookbook
Adapted from "Ripe Figs: Recipes and Stories from Turkey, Greece, and Cyprus." Copyright © 2021 by Yasmin Khan. With permission of the publisher, W. W. Norton & Company, Inc. All rights reserved.

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