Kisir is a Turkish bulgur salad made with fresh parsley, pomegranate molasses, and red pepper paste. It’s vegan, nutritious, easy to make, and satisfying. It’s a simple way to prep for healthy lunches and dinners all week long.
The Kisir Salad I Grew Up Eating
In Turkey, where I am from and have lived most of my life, Kisir is served chilled as a light and healthy meal during the sweltering summers. I love it on its own, scooped into lettuce cups, or as part of a mezze spread.
Many think that calling something a salad means it needs lettuce, but in Turkey, we have many kinds of salads, including vegetable salads and grain salads like this one. No lettuce required! Kisir, written as “kısır” and pronounced “ku-sur,” is living proof. Tart, sweet, and mildly spicy with a pleasantly chewy texture, this is unlike any salad you’ve tried! With its satisfying texture and perfect balance of flavor, this simple Turkish bulgur salad is a recipe I’ve grown up with, and I’m happy to share it with you. It’s crave-worthy, hearty, and refreshing all at the same time.
Fine or extra fine bulgur—the same cracked wheat used to make Tabouli and Kibbeh—is rich in B vitamins, selenium, and magnesium. One cup boasts about 6 grams of protein. When it comes to making grain salads, bulgur is one of the easiest grains to use. Simply soak it in hot water for 15 minutes or so, and it’s good to go.
Kisir Bulgur Salad Ingredients and Substitutions
Though some of these ingredients may seem exotic, they’re all easy to source online and well worth the effort. Trust me: a few Mediterranean pantry staples will open up a whole world in terms of flavor. You’ll need:
- Fine bulgur serves as the base of the salad (more info below).
- Olive oil allows the pepper and tomato paste to heat and caramelize without burning, all while enriching the flavor. Use a high-quality extra virgin variety. We offer olive oils from Greece, Spain, and Italy in our shop.
- Tomato paste and Turkish red pepper paste (Biber Salçası) add a concentrated depth of flavor. You can make the pepper paste yourself, find it in select Middle Eastern markets, or order it online.
- Urfa biber is a red chili flake from the Turkish city of Şanlıurfa, which adds a mildly spicy and tannic quality that complements the pomegranate molasses nicely.
- READ MORE: Urfa Biber: The Turkish Chili Pepper You Want In Your Spice Drawer.
- TRY IT: We carry Urfa biber at our spice shop, but Aleppo pepper or standard red chili flakes are worthy substitutes.
- Ground cumin adds an earthy, warming element.
- Kosher salt enhances the flavor.
- Pomegranate molasses adds a complex depth of flavor: sweet, syrupy, tangy, tannic, and a tiny bit earthy. You can make it yourself from fresh pomegranate juice, or order my favorite store-bought version at our shop.
- Lemon juice balances the sweetness of the pomegranate molasses and gives the salad a fresh zing. Lime juice also works.
- Green onions add oniony goodness without dominating the flavor. Shallot, chives, or a small amount of red onions work as a substitute.
- Parsley adds freshness and a lemony, peppery flavor. I wouldn’t substitute with dried parsley, but you could use fresh mint or cilantro instead.
- Tomatoes: Use juicy, sweet tomatoes that are still firm when ripe. I used Roma, but cherry or grape tomatoes would be good choices as well.
Ingredient Spotlight
Bulgur is made from cracked wheat and ranges from fine to coarse, with each variety bringing a pleasantly nutty flavor and chewy texture. Though not as common in the US, bulgur is a major staple of the Mediterranean Diet.
This whole grain is particularly popular in Turkey and the Middle East where it’s used in soups, salads, and even as a wrapping for meatballs, as with Turkish İçli Köfte or Middle Eastern Kibbeh. It’s incredibly easy to make, quick, and nutritious.
In fact, you don’t even need to cook fine bulgur! It just needs a quick soak in hot water. Plus, it’s high in fiber and protein, low in fat, rich in essential vitamins and minerals like iron and magnesium (see the USDA for the full breakdown).
- Is bulgur gluten-free? No, bulgur is made from wheat. The best GF substitute here is Quinoa.
- LEARN MORE: How To Cook Bulgur Wheat Perfectly
- TRY IT: Browse our collection of heart-healthy Mediterranean grains, including extra fine and coarse bulgur.
How to Make Kisir
This bulgur salad is best served cold. Try to give the bulgur enough time to chill in your fridge. Here are the steps:
- Get ready. Bring just over 2 cups of water to a boil.
- Cook the bulgur. Place 2 cups of fine or extra fine bulgur in a mixing bowl and pour about 1 cup of boiling water over it. Stir. The bulgur should immediately absorb the water. Pour another 1 cup of boiling water over top, enough to just cover the bulgur. Cover the bowl and set aside until the bulgur is tender and has absorbed all of the water, about 15 minutes.
- Prepare the paste. In a small pan over medium heat, stir together 3 tablespoons olive oil with 1/4 cup tomato paste, 3 tablespoons Turkish red pepper paste, 1 teaspoon Urfa Biber, 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin, and a big dash of salt. Stir until the pasted, oil, and spices have combined.
- Pour the paste mixture over the bulgur. Add 2 tablespoons of pomegranate molasses, the juice of 1/2 lemon, and a drizzle of olive oil. Mix well (or knead with gloved hands as is traditional) until the bulgur is fully coated in the paste.
- Cool. Set the bulgur in the fridge to cool while you chop the rest of the ingredients.
- Prepare the veggies and herbs. Trim and finely chop 6 green onions (both white and green parts). Chop enough parsley leaves and tender stems to yield 1 cup chopped parsley. Dice 3 tomatoes—if they are too soft or watery, you may want to halve them and squeeze out the seeds over your sink before chopping.
- Mix the kisir salad. Once the bulgur has fully cooled, mix in the chopped onions, parsley, and tomatoes. Taste and adjust the seasoning to your liking.
- Finish and serve. Garnish with more fresh parsley and serve.
What to Serve with Kisir
I serve Kisir salad on its own as a light lunch, or as a part of a mezze spread with other light bites like Dolmas, Bean Salad with Tahini, and Mercimek Köftesi, another red lentil and bulgur recipe common in Turkey.
To make the salad more finger-food friendly, scoop the bulgur salad into lettuce cups and sprinkle pomegranate seeds on top. And because Kisir is meant to be eaten as a cold salad on hot days, it only makes sense to serve it with Turkey’s beloved salty yogurt drink, Ayran, which is also meant to cool you down when the weather warms you up.
It also pairs well with any grilled recipe; serve Kisir with Turkish Döner Kebabs or Shish Tawook for a flavorful backyard BBQ!
More Mediterranean Bulgur Recipes
- Spicy Turkish Bulgur and Red Lentil Stew
- Mediterranean Beef Bowls
- Stuffed Eggplant with Spiced Ground Beef and Bulgur
A Note from Suzy
“Mezze is a big part of Mediterranean culture and I love having Ozlem’s Kisir salad as part of my mezze spread!”
Kisir (Turkish Bulgur Salad)
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Ingredients
- 2 cups fine or extra fine bulgur
- 2 cups boiling water, plus more if needed
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 3 tablespoons Turkish red pepper paste
- 1 teaspoon Urfa pepper or red pepper flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- Kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
- 6 green onions
- 3 ripe but firm Roma tomatoes
- 1 cup chopped fresh parsley, plus more for garnish
Instructions
-
Cook the bulgur. Place the bulgur in a mixing bowl and pour about 1 cup of the boiling water over it and stir. The bulgur should immediately absorb the water. Pour the remaining water, enough to just cover the bulgur. Cover the bowl and set aside until the bulgur is tender and has absorbed all of the water, about 15 minutes.
-
Prepare the paste. In a small pan over medium heat, heat the olive oil with the tomato paste, Turkish pepper paste, Urfa Biber, cumin, and a big dash of salt. Stir until the pastes have melted and combined.
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Pour the paste mixture over the bulgur. Add the pomegranate molasses, lemon juice, and a drizzle more olive oil. Mix well (or knead with gloved hands as is traditional) until the bulgur is fully coated in the paste.
-
Cool. Set the bulgur in the fridge to cool while you chop the rest of the ingredients.
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Prepare the veggies and herbs. Trim and finely chop the green onions (both white and green parts). Dice the tomatoes–if they are too soft or watery, you may want to halve them and squeeze out the seeds over your sink before chopping.
-
Mix the kisir salad. Once the bulgur has fully cooled, mix in the chopped onions, tomatoes, and parsley. Taste and adjust seasoning to your liking.
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Finish and serve. Garnish with more fresh parsley and serve.
Notes
- Shop this recipe: Visit our shop to browse quality Mediterranean ingredients including the bulgur, olive oil, pomegranate molasses, and spices used in this recipe.
- Serve on its own, or top in lettuce cups.
- Swap the tomatoes for fresh pomegranate seeds depending on the season.
Nutrition
Try Turkish Bulgur
Authentic, all-natural, extra-fine bulgur made from hard red winter wheat berries.
Frequently Asked Questions
Both are bulgur-based, herb-forward salads; however, Kiser, is from Turkey, uses more bulgur, and has additional flavorings like tomato paste, pomegranate molasses, and Turkish red pepper paste. Tabbouleh is enjoyed throughout the Levant, primarily in Syria and Lebanon, and is heavier on fresh herbs, while using lemon and olive oil as the primary flavor drivers.
Yes! Kisir is supposed to be served cold or at room temperature, so making it a day or two in advance actually helps deepen the flavors. Keep it refrigerated until you’re ready to serve.
Pomegranate molasses is a thick, tart-sweet syrup made from reduced pomegranate juice—it’s the flavor backbone of kisir, so I would either purchase some at a Middle Eastern grocery store or online, or you can make it yourself. If you absolutely need to replace it, you could try a combination of lemon juice and honey, but it will lack the tart depth of flavor that pomegranate molasses brings to the table.
The post Kisir (Turkish Bulgur Salad) appeared first on The Mediterranean Dish.
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