Cooked bulgur wheat is a perfect option whether you want to have a delicious garnish for your dinner or you simply want to have just a nutritious meal. It will go perfectly with any type of meat stew, sautéed vegetables, and baked fish. You can add it to salads, or you can cook bulgur grain porridge with milk for breakfast. The number of options is simply endless.
There are a lot of methods you can use for cooking bulgur wheat. I will share with you my favorite recipe, where you boil bulgur on the stove, but first, you need to sauté it in the skillet with melted butter or olive oil.
If you want to learn how you can measure bulgur without scales, follow this link.
How long do you cook bulgur wheat?
Before looking into cooking techniques of how you can cook bulgur wheat on the stove, let’s see how long it will take you to boil it on the stove and to prepare it in a cooker:
- How long do you boil bulgur on the stove? Boiling time depends on the type of bulgur you have. You need to simmer fine and medium bulgur for 12-15 minutes, coarse bulgur for 20 minutes.
- How long do you cook bulgur wheat in a rice cooker/multi-cooker? It will take you about 20 minutes to make bulgur wheat ready in a cooker. When the cooking finishes and the “warm” setting switches on, let the bulgur sit for additional 8-10 minutes in a cooker.
If you want to learn how to boil bulgur in a pot on the stove, keep reading our article.
Bulgur Recipe
The Easiest Way to Cook Bulgur on the Stove
If you are looking for an easy and quick bulgur recipe, here is a step-by-step guide for you on how to cook bulgur grain.
Ingredients for the recipe: 1 cup bulgur, 2 cups water, 2 tbsps. olive oil/butter, ½ tsp. salt (or to your taste).
Type: Side dish Cuisine: International Calories: 83 kcal Yield: 4 servings Prep Time: 5 min Cook Time: 20 min Ready in 25 min
- Measure out the necessary amount of bulgur wheat (use 1 part of grain for 2 parts of water). For example, if you have one Metric cup (250 ml) of bulgur wheat, you should use 500 ml of water. One cup goes for 4 servings.
- Take 2 tablespoons of butter and melt them in a skillet. I heat a skillet over medium heat because butter starts burning in the skillet on high heat. You can also use olive oil instead of butter, and if you have neither of these two options, vegetable oil can be used, too.
- Add bulgur wheat to the skillet and sauté for 2-3 minutes, constantly stirring. There is a little bit of dispute going on whether you need or do not need to wash bulgur before sautéing. Well, I can say only from my own experience, but I do not wash bulgur and find that it helps keep wheat from sticking. Moreover, if you have any doubts as to sauté bulgur in butter or not, do not even think about it. As it adds more aroma to the cooked bulgur. Do not skip this step, as your bulgur will be fluffier and more flavored; grains won’t stick together while boiling only because of this.
- Transfer bulgur to the pot and cover it with 2 cups of hot boiling water. Add salt at the beginning of cooking.
- When water reboils, add salt to your taste (approximately 0.5 teaspoons of salt for 500 lm of water will be enough).
- Turn down the heat to a minimum, as the water should be slightly simmering. It can take you from 12 to 20 minutes. The lid of the pot should stay closed while the grain is cooking.
- When you can see that the bulgur is ready, take it from the stove and let it rest extra 10 minutes. If you have any extra liquid left in a pan, do not forget to drain it. But if you keep true to a recipe, it is unlikely to happen.
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Do you have to wash bulgur before cooking? Cleaning bulgur under running water is not a strict requirement. You can skip this step.
Do you need to presoak bulgur wheat before boiling it? Do not leave bulgur in water for a long time; you only can rinse it through in running water before boiling it on the stove. There is a separate technique of cooking bulgur by soaking it in hot water for 20-45 minutes in proportion 1:2.
What is the proportion of ingredients for boiling bulgur wheat? Always check instructions on the packaging but, as a rule, 1 part of bulgur grain to 2 parts of water.
What is the dry to cooked bulgur yield? If you use 1 cup of bulgur and 2 cups of water, then bulgur grain yields 3 cups cooked.
Do I need to cook bulgur for tabouli (tabbouleh)? Before using bulgur in this salad, you need to soak it in hot water. Our advice will be to use fine or medium bulgur; it won’t take a lot of time to prepare it for the salad.
Boiled Bulgur Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup bulgur
- 2 cups water
- 2 tbsps. olive oil/butter
- ½ tsp. salt (or to your taste)
Instructions
- Measure out the necessary amount of bulgur wheat (use 1 part of grain for 2 parts of water). For example, if you have one Metric cup (250 ml) of bulgur wheat, you should use 500 ml of water. One cup goes for 4 servings.
- Take 2 tablespoons of butter and melt them in a skillet. I heat a skillet over medium heat because butter starts burning in the skillet on high heat. You can also use olive oil instead of butter, and if you have neither of these two options, vegetable oil can be used, too.
- Add bulgur wheat to the skillet and sauté for 2-3 minutes, constantly stirring. There is a little bit of dispute going on whether you need or do not need to wash bulgur before sautéing. Well, I can say only from my own experience, but I do not wash bulgur and find that it helps keep wheat from sticking. Moreover, if you have any doubts as to sauté bulgur in butter or not, do not even think about it. As it adds more aroma to the cooked bulgur. Do not skip this step, as your bulgur will be fluffier and more flavored; grains won’t stick together while boiling only because of this.
- Transfer bulgur to the pot and cover it with 2 cups of hot boiling water. Add salt at the beginning of cooking.
- When water reboils, add salt to your taste (approximately 0.5 teaspoons of salt for 500 lm of water will be enough).
- Turn down the heat to a minimum, as the water should be slightly simmering. It can take you from 12 to 20 minutes. The lid of the pot should stay closed while the grain is cooking.
- When you can see that the bulgur is ready, take it from the stove and let it rest extra 10 minutes. If you have any extra liquid left in a pan, do not forget to drain it. But if you keep true to a recipe, it is unlikely to happen.
My favorite thing is to have boiled bulgur in the fridge and add it every time while I am cooking stir-fry with vegetables. Have this meal for lunch, and you will be filled until dinner. If you have any advice on how you can make cooked bulgur tastier, please, share them with us. There is a comment section below; you can leave all your suggestion and questions if you still have any.
2 Comments
When recipe says add 2 cup bulgar, is that 1cup dry or 1 cup cooked? Thanks
In the recipe, I have 1 cup of dry bulgur.