Why bulgur suits cooking off-grid
Bulgur is wheat that has been parboiled, dried and cracked before it is sold. The cooking has mostly been done for you. Fine and medium bulgur need only boiling water and a lid, and coarse bulgur a short simmer, so it costs a fraction of the gas that rice or pasta does, and there is no water to drain away. On a single burner, with water you carried in, that matters more than any other quality a grain has.
It also has more to it than couscous: a nutty, chewy grain that holds up to dressings, spice and dried fruit rather than turning to paste.
Bulgur wheat recipes
- Bulgur with dates, almonds and cinnamon: boiling water, a lid and fifteen minutes off the heat. Breakfast or pudding.
- Bulgur and tomato salad: no cooking at all, a store-cupboard take on tabbouleh.
- Dried mushroom and bulgur soup: the bulgur goes in for the last ten minutes and thickens the broth.
- Mujaddara: made here with rice, but bulgur is a traditional alternative.