A staple in my home, hot or cold. Most people are not sure what to do with this is whole grain (I was one of those people!) but you can treat it like rice and cook it with seasoning to make a really tasty side dish. Made from cracked wheat it’s packed full of vitamins, minerals and fibre. It’s cheap, nutritious and easy to digest. I first tried this when a Turkish colleague brought in Tabbouleh salad for us to try and I was hooked!

Ingredients

2 x tsp olive oil or rapeseed oil
1 x mug of bulgur wheat (normal tea or coffee mug) –  available at all Turkish or major supermarkets – I normally use coarse bulgur
2 x tsp of garlic granules
2 x tsp sea salt (less or more to taste)
2 x tsp ground turmeric
2 x mug of boiling hot water

Method
In a medium pan, gently heat the oil, when hot add the mug of dry bulgur wheat and cover with the oil. Put your kettle on to boil the water needed.
When the bulgur is stirred thoroughly (don’t have the heat too high just a medium heat) add in the salt, garlic granules and turmeric and stir thoroughly, then add in 2 x mugs of boiling hot water. (The key is to use the same mug you used for the bulgur wheat). Bring to a boil and then turn down to a low heat, put the lid on and set a timer for 20 minutes. Have a cup of tea and relax!
I have found that after 20 mins the water has boiled away and the bulgur is perfectly cooked. If you find there is any residual water – just leave it for another 5 mins and it should have cooked away.
Take off the heat and leave the lid on – leave to stand for about 5 minutes and then serve. This goes with any dish and any leftovers can be eaten cold with a dressing and salad.