Gurgur Baseema (Tasty Bulgur)

Whenever I open my WordPress dashboard, it is always slightly depressing to see the number of draft posts that I have. Seeing the list of drafts just reminds me of all the things that I cooked but didn’t find the time to blog about. These past two months, I made hommus from scratch (I actually soaked chickpeas overnight, boiled them, and then finally crushed them), pork carnitas, chocolate pudding cookies, great guacamole, roasted cauliflower and brussel sprouts, and an awesome cheese-kale-artichoke dip. So many great things that were blog worthy! Alas, this past semester was crazy. Finding the time to blog wasn’t even a question; It was a matter of finding the time to cook.

At last, the semester is over and I am back at home, enjoying the company of my aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, friends, and family in general. A few nights ago, my brother and I decided to made gurgur. I’ve blogged about gurgur before; it’s a staple in Middle Eastern households, and was a daily part of my parents’ diets when they lived in Iraq. What is different about this recipe? This gurgur is made to stand alone. Oftentimes, grains or rice are cooked as a side dish, to complement a sauce or meat. But not this bulgur. It has enough flavor to make you want to devour a bowl without any toppings, sauces, or sides.

*Some notes: taste the broth/stock before you add it to the bulgur. It should taste salty. Keep in mind that when the broth is added to the noodles and bulgur, the flavor will be diluted; it won’t be as salty as the broth tastes!

Ingredients

*If you don’t want to make this amount of gurgur, just maintain the same ratios. For every cup of bulgur, use about one-and-a-half cups of stock. In general, water to grain ratios with gurgur are a bit more forgiving than those of rice.

3 cups bulgur

3/4 cup vermicelli noodles

5 cups stock OR water with bouillon cubes

1 tbs minced onion

1/4 cup oil

2 cups chopped mushrooms (optional)

1/2 cup silvered almonds (optional)

1/2 cup golden raisins (optional)

Directions

1. In a medium stock pot, bring the chicken or meat stock to a boil. Once the stock comes to a boil, set aside. Taste the broth and add salt to taste.
2. In a large stock pot, heat 1/4 cups oil. Add the vermicelli noodles and minced onion. Slowly brown them on low to medium heat. Keep a close eye on the noodles, they brown quickly!
3. Once the noodles and onions have browned, add the bulgur, and stir.
4. After mixing the noodles, bulgur, and minced onion, add the stock. Stir, and cover the pot. Let the bulgur cook on medium to high heat. When the stock has cooked away, turn the stove off, and let the bulgur sit for about 15 to 20 minutes.