Tag: green pepper

Bulgur Biryani

15 November 2024

Turkey meets India this time round on KCC as we cook Turkey’s beloved bulgur wheat in in Indian biryani style. Bulgur, parboiled, dried and cracked wheat, is a quick-cooking alternative to rice that works really when combined with spicy vegetables.

Bulgur biryani

Biryani belongs to the family of layered rice dishes that includes Uzbekistan’s plov and other pilafs. The name is from the Persian barian, which translates as ‘roasted’.

The dish was originally brought to the Indian sub-continent by travellers from Iran and has developed into a number of regional variations, with the Hyderabadi one, served with a yoghurty raitha, being the most famous.

As bulgur is parboiled, it cooks really quickly. It takes around 15 – 20 minutes to cook – the total prep time for this dish is less than an hour from start to finish and it is cooked in one-pan, so less washing up to worry about.

Ingredients (for two servings)

  • 100g coarse bulgur
  • 100g diced carrot
  • 100 g courgette
  • 150 g cooked chickpeas
  • 25 g tomato paste
  • 25 g pepper paste (we used tatli (sweet), if you want it hot, use acili)
  • 20 ml olive oil
  • 1 stick of celery (approx 25 g)
  • 2 spring onions (approx 10 g)
  • 1 green pepper (approx 30 g)
  • 250 ml vegetable stock
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 1 teaspoon each of mustard seeds, cumin seeds, turmeric, fenugreek, chilli powder
  • 25 g fresh coriander

Method

  • Heat the oil in a large frying pan and add the mustard seeds. When they start to pop, add the chopped spring onion and celery and cook for two minutes. Then add the chopped green pepper and diced carrot and cook for two more minutes. Add the courgettes and cook for another two minutes.
  • Add the spices and stir well and then add the cooked chick peas and the vegetable stock. Stir in the tomato and pepper paste, bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to a gentle simmer. Add the bulgur in a layer over the veggies. Put a lid on the pan and cook over a low heat for 15 – 20 minutes until all the liquid is absorbed.
  • Turn off the heat and allow the mix to rest for ten minutes or so. Stir well and then serve. Garnish with chopped coriander.

Khorovats – Armenia’s Grilled Veg Star

27 May 2021

With the barbecue season in full swing, we’ve been sent this photo from a reader in Uzbekistan that reminded us that a while back we promised a recipe for Armenia’s favourite warm vegetable salad — khoravats, made from grilled aubergines, peppers and tomatoes.

Grilled veggies ready to be turned into khorovats

Khoravats is a fixture on the menu in many post-Soviet countries — it’s name comes from the Armenian verb khorovel, which simply means to grill. With an abundance of seasonal vegetables appearing in the markets and sunny days and long evenings (in Kazakhstan at least!), it’s time to fire up your grill and get making some khoravats.

Ingredients

  • 2 medium sized aubergines (eggplants)
  • 3 medium-sized green peppers (bell peppers)
  • 3 medium-sized tomatoes
  • 1 small onion
  • 1 bunch parsley or coriander (cilantro)
  • 25 ml olive oil
  • Juice of one lemon

Method

  • Wash the vegetables and prick the aubergines with a fork in a few places (to stop them exploding!). Grill the vegetables until the skins start to char, then keep turning so that the whole vegetable is cooked evenly. The tomatoes will cook first, then the aubergines and peppers. Remove from the grill and put in a paper bag to cool down — this will make it easier to peel the vegetables.
  • After 15 minutes or so, remove from the bag and peel. Then chop into chunks and mix together in a big bowl. Dress the chunks with the olive oil and lemon juice and season with black pepper and then add the finely chopped onion, parsley or coriander (cilantro) and serve with flat bread warmed up on the grill.