335 – Itch – Armenian Bulgur Salad / سلطة البلجر الأرمانية

Ingredients :

• 1 1/2 cups bulgur (coarse if possible)
• 1 1/2 cups warm water
• 2 onions (chopped)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 small green pepper (diced)
• A bunch of fresh parsley (finely chopped)
• Salt and pepper (to taste)
• 1 tablespoon of tomato paste
• 1/2 cup tomato sauce
• 1/2 tablespoon of dried mint or fresh mint (chopped)

Directions :

Step 1: Preparing the Ingredients
1- Place the bulgur in a bowl and add the warm water to it. Let the bulgur soak in the water for 15-30 minutes before using it.
2- Chop the onion. Dice the green pepper. Finely chop the parsley.

Step 2: Cooking with Bulgur
1- On medium heat, drizzle some olive oil in a flat pan.
2- Heat the oil for 1 minute then add the chopped onions, diced green pepper, chopped parsley, salt, and pepper. Mix well.
3- Cook for 5 minutes on medium heat.
4- While the onions are cooking, drain the bulgur from the water.
5- Add the bulgur to the pan and mix with the chopped onions and pepper.
6- Add the tomato paste and tomato sauce to the bulgur. Mix well.
7- Add a little bit of water to the bulgur and ingredients, just to make sure it’s moist.
8- Add the dried (or fresh) mint to the bulgur. Mix well.

Step 3: Final Steps
1- Keep cooking the ingredient on medium heat and stirring from time to time. Add a little bit of water if necessary to keep the bulgur mixture moist.
2- You will notice that the bulgur will start swelling and getting bigger, which means that it’s getting ready.
3- From the time you added the bulgur, it would take around 10-15 minutes, for it to become soft and chewy, and the liquid of the mixture to evaporate. At this point, turn off the heat, cover the pan with a lid, and let the bulgur sit for 10 minutes. You will see that it will swell up a little more and become softer!
4- Taste and season with salt and pepper.
5- The Itch is ready. You can serve it hot or cold!
Bon appetit!