Kisir

This dish can be shaped into patties to create a vegetarian version of the Lebanese dish kibbeh nayyeh (lamb and bulgur tartar), or it can be served loose, a bit like a couscous salad.

In the south of Turkey, near the Syrian border, they tend to use pomegranate molasses instead of lemon juice.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 2 large onions, peeled and finely chopped
• 90ml olive oil, plus more to finish
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 4 tomatoes, peeled and chopped
• 400ml water
• 400g coarse bulgur wheat
• 1½ tsp pomegranate molasses
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 6 tbsp chopped parsley
• 3 spring onions, finely shredded, plus an extra one to garnish
• 2 green chillies, deseeded and finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• Salt and black pepper

Instructions

• Seeds from 1 pomegranate
• 1 handful mint leaves, some whole, some roughly shredded

1. In a large saucepan, sauté the onions in the oil until they turn translucent – about five minutes.
2. Add the tomato paste and cook over medium heat for two minutes, stirring all the while with a wooden spoon.
3. Add the chopped fresh tomatoes, leave them to simmer on a low heat for four minutes, then add the water.
4. Bring to a boil, remove the pan from the heat and stir in the bulgur.
5. Add the molasses, lemon juice, parsley, chopped spring onion, chilli, garlic and cumin.
6. Season, stir, then set aside until the salad has cooled to room temperature or is just lukewarm.
7. Taste, adjust the seasoning as necessary - it will probably need plenty of salt - and spoon on to a serving dish.
8. Roughly flatten out the salad with a palette knife, creating a wave-like pattern on the surface, then scatter pomegranate seeds over it.
9. Drizzle olive oil over the top and finish with mint leaves and the extra spring onion.