Kısır
A Turkish salad that originated in the south-east of the country, a fixture of afternoon tea gatherings. It is fine bulgur soaked in hot water with tomato paste, kneaded with olive oil and spices, mixed with parsley, mint, spring onion and tomatoes. Unlike Lebanese tabbouleh, bulgur dominates rather than herbs, and the colour and flavour come from tomato paste (in Turkey often pepper paste too) and sweet-sour pomegranate molasses. The key: knead the bulgur by hand with the oil, so it absorbs the spices.
Your own work in that: 0 min.
- Soaking the bulgur 20 min
- Herbs and vegetables 15 min
- Combining 15 min
Step by step
0 / 8 doneSoak the bulgur with tomato paste
Dissolve the tomato paste in the hot water and pour it over the bulgur. Stir, cover with a plate and leave 20 minutes, until the grain absorbs all the water and softens. Fine bulgur needs no cooking.
Ingredients: 200 g fine bulgur (köftelik) · 250 ml hot water · 2 tbsp tomato paste · 1 tsp sweet paprika · 1 tsp pul biber pepper flakes · ½ tsp ground cumin
Under a plate, 20 minutes — no cooking.Add spices and oil
Add the paprika, pul biber, cumin, olive oil and salt to the bulgur.
Ingredients: 200 g fine bulgur (köftelik) · 250 ml hot water · 2 tbsp tomato paste · 1 tsp sweet paprika · 1 tsp pul biber pepper flakes · ½ tsp ground cumin
Knead by hand
Knead the bulgur with your hands for 2–3 minutes, like dough, rubbing it between your fingers. That is how Turkish cooks do it — the grains absorb the oil and spices, and the salad gets an even colour and flavour.
Ingredients: 200 g fine bulgur (köftelik) · 250 ml hot water · 2 tbsp tomato paste · 1 tsp sweet paprika · 1 tsp pul biber pepper flakes · ½ tsp ground cumin
By hand, like dough — the spices go into the grain.Chop the herbs and tomatoes
Finely chop the parsley, mint and spring onions. Dice the tomatoes finely, discarding the wettest seedy centres.
Ingredients: 4 pcs spring onions · 1 bunch parsley · ½ bunch fresh mint · 2 pcs tomatoes · 8 pcs romaine lettuce leaves
Mix with the bulgur
Add the herbs and tomatoes to the bulgur and mix with a fork.
Ingredients: 4 pcs spring onions · 1 bunch parsley · ½ bunch fresh mint · 2 pcs tomatoes · 8 pcs romaine lettuce leaves
With a fork — the herbs should stay fresh.Season with molasses and lemon
Pour in the pomegranate molasses and lemon juice, stir and taste. Kısır should be distinctly sweet-sour and slightly hot — adjust with salt, lemon or pul biber.
Ingredients: 60 ml olive oil · 2 tbsp pomegranate molasses · 1 pcs lemon, juice · 1 tsp salt
Rest a quarter of an hour
Leave the salad 15 minutes for the flavours to marry and the bulgur to absorb the tomato juice and dressing.
Ingredients: 200 g fine bulgur (köftelik) · 250 ml hot water · 2 tbsp tomato paste · 1 tsp sweet paprika · 1 tsp pul biber pepper flakes · ½ tsp ground cumin
Serve with lettuce
Serve kısır on a platter with romaine leaves — in Turkey you spoon it onto a leaf, roll it up and eat it by hand.
Ingredients: 4 pcs spring onions · 1 bunch parsley · ½ bunch fresh mint · 2 pcs tomatoes · 8 pcs romaine lettuce leaves
Before you start
Pepper paste
In Turkey red pepper paste (biber salçası) replaces part of the tomato paste. If you find it in a Turkish shop, swap one spoon of tomato paste for it and leave out the sweet paprika.
Fine bulgur
Kısır needs the finest bulgur, called köftelik. Coarse bulgur (pilavlık) must be cooked, and the salad then has a completely different texture.
Storage
Kısır keeps 2 days in the fridge and often tastes even better the next day. Add fresh mint and a spoon of olive oil before serving.
