Kisir is one of those delicacies, that suits most dishes and is quite nice and easy on a summer day. It reminds a lot about the Moroccan couscous – just a few ingredients to differ. The Turkish version of kısır is very red to look at (where the Moroccan one is more colorful) and it is also a little spicy case. We eat it to … well … just about anything, as it is one of those sidedishes, that are pretty good at both chicken, fish, lamb, beef, pork and as part of a vegetarian menu. It is especially tasty on a hot summer evening, with delicacies from the grill. In Turkey it is an indispensable part of the beautiful small meze dishes, that you get as starters. As always, I am big fan of having a quick, easy and delicious dish, that you “have up in the sleeve” and don’t have to plan, but can just quickly make.
I always make it a bit spicy (though in Antalya you can easily get a more hot than spicy version). I usually use sour pomegranate syrup, but you can replace it with lemon juice instead. I haven’t added dill to this version, but it is very good if you add a bit.
This one serves for 4-6 people and takes about 25 min. to make.
2 cups fine bulgur
2 cups boiled water
1-2 tablespoons tomato paste
1-2 tablespoons red pepper paste – preferable the hot one
1 teaspoon chili flakes (but watch and season, if you also use the hot pepper paste)
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons concentrated sour pomegranate syrup
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium red onion, finely chopped
4 spring onions, finely chopped
4 tomatoes, finely chopped
Handful of chopped parsley (and dill if you like)
1 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Combine bulgur, salt, ground black pepper, red chili flakes, tomato paste, red pepper paste and chopped onion and mix thoroughly together. Pour hot water over this mixture, stir and set aside for about 15 minutes. It is essential that all the liquid is absorbed, so the bulgur gets a kind of dry texture.
Add lemon juice and pomegranate syrup along with the extra virgin olive oil and mix well again. Stir in the other ingredients and mix thoroughly.
You can either serve the salad in a bowl or mold a small ball and serve on rinsed leaves of heartsalad or romaine lettuce (a bit like these Mercimekli köfte but just a bit smaller). Store it in the refrigerator until it’s served.
I hope that you will use this recipe and enjoy this summer, just as much as we do. Afiyet olsun.
