Syrian Bulgur Wheat Salad
A bright and crunchy salad featuring chewy bulgur wheat, tart pomegranate seeds, and toasted nuts, perfect for buffets or as a refreshing side dish.
Ingredients
Main Ingredients
- 125 g dried bulgur wheat Use medium or fine bulgur for best texture.
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 heaped tbsp tomato purée Substitute: 1 tbsp red pepper purée for a smoky twist.
- 2 tsp pomegranate molasses Substitute: 1–1½ tsp balsamic reduction if unavailable, but molasses is preferred.
- 1 tsp harissa paste Start with less if you’re sensitive to heat.
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/4 tsp ground coriander
- Pinch ground allspice
- 1/2 unit lemon (juice of 1/2 lemon) About 1 tbsp.
- 50 g walnut pieces
- 50 g blanched hazelnuts
- 30 g pine nuts Large handful.
- 150-200 g pomegranate seeds Very large handful, suggest seeding a large pomegranate.
- small handful flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
- sea salt, to taste
Instructions
Preparation
- Place 125g dried bulgur in a large bowl. Boil the kettle and pour 200ml boiling water over the bulgur. Leave uncovered to soak for 30 minutes while fluffing occasionally with a fork.
- While the bulgur soaks, whisk together the dressing: 2 tbsp olive oil, 1 heaped tbsp tomato purée, 2 tsp pomegranate molasses, 1 tsp harissa paste, 1/2 tsp ground cumin, 1/4 tsp ground coriander, a pinch of allspice, and the juice of 1/2 lemon. Set aside.
- Toast walnuts and hazelnuts in a medium-high heat frying pan until hazelnuts show golden patches. Remove, cool, and roughly chop.
- In the same pan, toast pine nuts until golden and fragrant, then set aside.
- Roughly chop the parsley and prepare the pomegranate seeds.
Assembly
- Stir the dressing into the soaked bulgur. Add the chopped walnuts and hazelnuts. Season with sea salt to taste.
- Spoon into a large serving dish and scatter the toasted pine nuts, chopped parsley, and pomegranate seeds on top. Serve at room temperature.
Notes
Best served at room temperature, this salad is perfect for buffets or picnics. To enhance storage, keep pomegranate seeds and pine nuts separate until serving.