How To Make Bulgur Wheat

Bulgur wheat is yet another way of preparing wheat to use in everyday cooking.  It's a common staple of European, Middle Eastern, and Indian cuisine.  Most bulgur available in grocery stores is prepared from durum wheat, but it can also be prepared from red or white wheat at home with just a little time invested.  It's a great item to have on hand for preparing a quick side dish, but as it is a cracked whole grain, it doesn't have a long shelf life.  It's definitely not something to buy in twenty-five-pound bags.

Directions for preparing your own bulgur are fairly simple:

• Soak red or white wheat berries in water, two cups of water for every cup of berries. 
• Soak until the water is all absorbed and the wheat is tender, about one hour. 
• Drain the berries and spread them out to dry on
• dehydrator trays,
• cookie sheets in a 200-degree oven, or
• cookie sheets on top of a wood stove (with airflow underneath the cookie sheet).
• When dry enough to crack easily, crack wheat in a
• grain mill,
• blender,
• coffee grinder, or
• Ziploc bag with a rolling pin.
• Sift out the smallest bits.  When cooked, those littlest bits will look and taste like paste.

To cook your bulgur, simply bring two cups of water to a boil for every cup of bulgur wheat.  Boil for 5-10 minutes, or until soft.  

Bulgur wheat is prepared like brown rice or couscous and can be seasoned in any number of ways.  Some people simply cook it in chicken broth and then serve as-is for a no-fuss side dish.  The possibilities are endless.

Links to related posts:  

Wheat  

Couscous 

Instant Rice

For further reading:

https://www.palousebrand.com/blogs/recipe-ideas/how-to-make-bulgur

https://howtocook-guide.com/how-to-cook-bulgur/

https://ladyleeshome.com/how-to-make-bulgur/

https://delishably.com/grains/How-to-Make-Bulgur-Wheat-An-Illustrated-Guide

3 january 2020