Turkish Bulgur Pilaf with Eggplant Recipe
A hearty one-pot dish where bulgur is cooked together with eggplant, tomatoes, and spices. In Turkey, such pilafs are often served as a main course without meat or as a side dish to grilled kebabs. The flavor is reminiscent of a cross between a grain risotto and vegetable ratatouille, but it is looser and more aromatic.
This pilaf combines the nutty flavor of bulgur with silky, lightly caramelized eggplant and fragrant Turkish-inspired spices. Everything cooks in one pot, making it both convenient and deeply flavorful, with a texture that is loose yet rich, somewhere between a pilaf and a vegetable stew.
Chef's tips
Use good-quality, medium-grain bulgur so it cooks evenly and stays pleasantly loose. Salting and rinsing the eggplant before frying helps remove any bitterness and keeps the cubes from soaking up too much oil. Adjust the amount of hot paprika to your heat tolerance, and if your tomatoes are not very flavorful, add a little more tomato paste for depth.
How to serve
Serve the pilaf in deep bowls with a generous spoonful of thick natural or Greek yogurt, a squeeze of lemon juice, and extra chopped parsley. It pairs beautifully with grilled kebabs, roasted chicken, or a simple cucumber and tomato salad with lemon and olive oil.
Ingredients
- bulgur wheat medium-grain - 250 g
- eggplant medium - 1 piece
- tomatoes ripe - 2 pieces
- tomato paste - 1 tablespoon
- onion medium - 1 piece
- bell pepper red or green - 1 piece
- vegetable stock hot - 600 ml
- olive oil - 3 tablespoons
- butter optional - 15 g
- sweet paprika, ground - 1 teaspoon
- hot paprika, ground or less, to taste - 0.5 teaspoons
- ground cumin - 0.5 teaspoons
- salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
- parsley chopped, for serving - 2 tablespoons
Preparation
- Cut the eggplant into cubes of about 1.5 cm, sprinkle lightly with salt and set aside for 15 minutes to release some liquid. Then rinse under running water and pat dry with paper towels.
- Finely dice the onion, cut the pepper into strips, scald the tomatoes, peel off the skins, and cut into cubes. Rinse the bulgur in a sieve under cold water and drain well.
- In a wide pot or deep frying pan, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add the eggplant and fry for 8–10 minutes, stirring, until it softens and is lightly browned. Transfer it to a plate.
- In the same pot, add the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil, add the onion and fry for 3–4 minutes until softened and slightly translucent. Add the pepper and fry for another 3–4 minutes.
- Add the tomato paste, sweet paprika, hot paprika, and cumin, and fry for about 1 minute, stirring, until the spices become very fragrant. Then add the chopped tomatoes and simmer for 3–4 minutes until they break down.
- Add the bulgur, return the fried eggplant to the pot, and stir, then pour in the hot stock. Season with salt and pepper, stir, and bring to a gentle boil.
- Reduce the heat to low, cover the pot with a lid, and cook for 15–18 minutes, until the bulgur has absorbed most of the liquid and is tender. At the end, add the butter if using, cover, and set aside for 5 minutes to let the pilaf rest.
- Before serving, gently fluff the pilaf with a fork, sprinkle with parsley, and serve warm.
Storage
Pilaw przechowuj w lodówce w szczelnym pojemniku; do mrożenia podziel na porcje i zużyj w ciągu 2 miesięcy, rozmrażaj w lodówce i podgrzewaj z odrobiną wody na patelni.
