There is evidence that people have been eating bulgur for about 4000 years. This product is distributed mostly in the east – India, Armenia, Iran, Azerbaijan. It is also popular in the Balkans and in many Mediterranean countries. Bulgur is valued for its beneficial properties, interesting taste and ease of storage and preparation. Unfortunately, in Russia it is not so popular, and is considered almost an exotic dish.
Bulgur – what is this cereal?
Bulgur is a cereal made from wheat harvested during the period of milk maturity. Wheat is steamed, dried in the sun, cleaned of bran (shell residues) and crushed into small fractions. Outwardly, the resulting groats resemble corn groats, in Russia barley groats can be called an analogue of bulgur, only, unlike the oriental product, it is not steamed, therefore, the taste is not so rich. It is thanks to steaming and drying that bulgur gets an unusual taste and aroma, reminiscent of nutty. Modern bulgur can have different degrees of grinding: fine grinding is used for baking bread, medium – for cereals and soups, coarse grinding is good for pilaf.
Bulgur is easy to cook – you just need to fry it in a hot frying pan with the addition of butter or vegetable oil, then add water (the proportions depend on the desired consistency of the dish), and cook until tender. This cereal does not need to be washed, not before, not after cooking.
Groats can be used both as a side dish for meat dishes or as a component of pilaf, and as an independent dish – bulgur cutlets are nutritious and satisfying. This cereal is added to soups and stews, stuffed with vegetables, and, of course, added to salads, the most famous and “ancient” of which is Taboule salad. You can use this product in the preparation of sweet dishes – it goes well with nuts and honey, it is not recommended to add dried fruits, because this can cause serious fermentation processes in the stomach. Sweets are incredibly tasty and healthy, however, quite high-calorie.
[Video] What is bulgur?
Bulgur with chicken and vegetables in the oven
In the oven, the chicken is baked on a bed of bulgur. For this they prepare:
1 kg of bulgur.
2,5 kg chicken thighs.
1 piece of carrot.
1 piece of onion.
5-6 champignons.
2 tbsp. spoons of adjika.
4 st. spoons of mayonnaise.
2 teaspoons of mustard.
3 garlic cloves.
Spices, soy sauce to taste.
Chicken thighs are marinated in a mixture of soy sauce, mustard, adjika, mayonnaise, chopped garlic. For about an hour, the dishes with chicken smeared with marinade are left in a cool place.
Fry bulgur in a dry frying pan until golden brown, pour onto a baking sheet, spread evenly, add a little salt.
Grate the carrots on a coarse grater, cut the onion into small pieces. Vegetables are fried in a pan for 10 minutes. After that, randomly chopped mushrooms are added. All ingredients are slightly salted, spices are added and fried for another 10 minutes.
The resulting roast is spread on top of the bulgur. If desired, you can add tomatoes, tomato paste or green peas. The cereal is mixed with vegetables and poured with water. If the water evaporates quickly during cooking, it can be added during cooking.
Chicken pieces are laid out on top of the bulgur, sprinkled with paprika. The marinade can be poured over the cereal. The baking sheet is covered with foil and placed in an oven preheated to 200 degrees. After 40 minutes, the foil is removed and the chicken with bulgur is cooked for another 20-30 minutes.
[Video] I cook dinner for the family simply and without problems – bulgur with chicken in the oven: