Bulgur Pilav (Burgul bi Banadoora / Tomato)

What is Bulgur Pilav?

Bulgur pilav is a pilaf (either a wheat dish or rice dish, in this instance wheat) made from bulgur that has been simmered in a tomato base. It is widely made across the Middle East and Mediterranean.

In the Middle East it is known as burghul bi banadoora and in the Mediterranean it is known as bulgur pilav or bulgar pilaf. 

Burghul bi banadoora in Arabic translates to bulgur in tomato in English.

What is Bulgur?

Burgul or burghul is the Arabic word for wheat berry. It is also known as bulgur (Turkish) and is a whole grain that has a nutty flavour. It is a Middle Eastern and Mediterranean household pantry staple. 

The wheat berry is par-boiled, then dried and then ground into various sizes.

Bulgur is available in these sizes, fine, medium, coarse and extra coarse.

tExtra coarse bulgur has been used within this recipe. Fine bulgur is used in tabouli (famous Lebanese parsley salad aka taboule salad) and a combination of fine and coarse burghul is used in the famous Lebanese kibbeh dishes such as kibbet batata.

Outside of Arab speaking countries, such as Armenia, Turkey, Greece and Cyprus all have wonderful tasting dishes using bulgur. 

My Armenian side of the family make Eech with fine bulgur and tomatoes, normally eaten with bread, for example.

Although sometimes mistakenly used interchangeably, bulgur is not the same as cracked wheat. Cracked wheat is made from wheat but isn’t parboiled.

How To Pronounce Burghul?

Burghul has two syllables and is pronounced as burr·ghul (in Arabic) the r is rolled and the gh are fused together. In English it is pronounced as buh·gl.

😋Why you’ll love this recipe

• It’s filling, nutritious and warming
• It’s made of fairly simple ingredients
• Stores well in a container in the refrigerator
• It’s a delicious vegan recipe
• The red colouring of this dish is sensational

🥘Ingredients You’ll Need

Bulgur - extra coarse or coarse is the best size for making this dish. Whilst fine bulgur can be used, the texture of this dish changes.

Tomatoes - I love to use fresh ripe tomatoes, which are peeled (learn how to peel tomatoes here). If you prefer, you can use canned crushed tomatoes or tomato puree.

Capsicum/bell peppers - you can opt to select any colour you prefer. Green is a lovely contrast against the redness of this dish, but all colours taste amazing.

Onion & garlic - are best used in their fresh form. Only a small amount of garlic is needed and shouldn’t overtake the flavouring of this dish. 

Canned chickpeas/garbanzo beans . Save the chickpea brine there are so many uses.

Cumin - a little of this spice goes a long way. If you’d like a little more of this spice, add little amounts of it at a time as it can get bitter.

🔪How To Make Bulgur Pilav

How To Peel Tomatoes

Step 1 - Prepare ice bath, by placing ice into a bowl of water. Set aside.

Step 2 - Cut an ‘x’ on the bottom of each tomato

Step 3 - Blanch tomatoes by placing them into boiling water for 30 seconds and then immediately place them into an ice bath. This will stop the tomatoes from cooking.

Step 4 - Remove skins, they should peel off easily. Chop up the tomatoes finely, until almost pureed.

Cooking Method

Step 5 - Heat up cooking oil in a pot over medium - high heat, add onion & garlic and fry until golden.

Step 6 - Stir through tomato paste and then stir through capsicum (bell pepper), green chilies, tomatoes, spices and salt. Cover for 10 minutes and allow tomatoes to cook and release juices.

Step 7 - Add water and bring it to a simmer. Once simmering, add bulgur and chickpeas and stir through. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 25 minutes.

Step 8 - After 25 minutes, turn the heat off and allow the pot to stand covered for 10 minutes.

Step 9 - Garnish with parsley and red onion, serve warm.

✔️Variations

Chickpeas/ garbanzo beans - if you don’t like chickpeas/garbanzo beans, these can be left out or replaced with light flavoured white beans such as butter bean (lima bean) or cannellini beans.

Capsicum (bell peppers) can also be omitted if you prefer.

Green chillies - these can also be left out or replaced with a chilli powder, be mindful of the paprika used, i.e., mild, hot or extra hot

🌟Pro Tips

Cooking pot - as burgul swells (doubles) as it cooks, use a pot that is big enough for the contents. I use my casserole dish, which is quite wide. 

All other fresh produce - should be chopped up finely and be barely noticeable when cooked in the pilaf.

10 minute rest time - at the end of the cooking period, allowing the bulgur pilav to rest for 10 minutes in its covered pot, allows it to absorb further juices and fluff up whilst absorbing the steam within the pot.

Leftovers - burgul bi banadoora can easily be stored covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days once it has cooled down to room temperature. Simply reheat as you would rice.

❓FAQ

🍴What to serve with?

Bulgur pilav can be enjoyed with a dollop of vegan plain yoghurt (or Greek yoghurt if you desire), avoid coconut yoghurt, the flavoring doesn’t match and can be overpowering.

Otherwise, enjoy a side of macerated cabbage slaw or Lebanese cucumber salad.

🥘Related recipes

Other must-try Middle Eastern bulgur recipes include kibbeh bil saniyeh which is an oven baked flat loaf. Or try these pilaf recipes - lentils and bulgur and vermicelli burghul - this on is used in place of plain rice.

Recipe