Kisir (Turkish Bulgur Salad)

Bulgur (also known as bulgar wheat) is a staple ingredient in Turkish cuisine and kisir is our all time favorite quick lunch. If it is a new ingredient for you, you might want to learn how to cook bulgar and see our best bulgur recipes too!

What is Kisir?

Kisir (kısır in Turkish) is one of the best fine bulgur wheat recipes out there! It is a salad made with fine bulgur, spices, tomato paste, fresh vegetables like cucumber, tomatoes, onions and herbs. 

It has a tangy flavor coming from lemon and pomegranate molasses and often served with lettuce leaves, pickles and sliced tomatoes and cucumbers on the side.

This healthy bulgur wheat salad is one of the most loved dishes in Turkey. It is the star at potluck parties, served as a part of a meze platter. It is known as a quick light lunch too. And you can use it even as a topping for Turkish stuffed baked potatoes!

Kisir vs Tabbouleh

Kısır can be considered as Turkish tabbouleh. These two dishes are extremely similar but have some key differences.

Tabbouleh is a Middle Eastern salad that consists of bulgur, herbs, lemon juice, and olive oil. It doesn't contain any tomato paste or red pepper paste.

Another difference between these two healthy salads is about the amount of herbs and bulgur. While herbs have the main role in Lebanese tabbouleh, the dominant ingredient in its Turkish couisin is bulgur. 

What Type of Bulgur?

Bulgur wheat is a type of whole grain wheat berries that has been partially cooked before being dried again. This pre-cooking helps make the final preparations much shorter and hassle-free.

For Turkish bulgur salad, we only use fine bulgur, which is known as köftelik bulgur. And you can use either white or red bulgur. Other great red bulgur recipes are cikofte and mercimekli köfte (bulgur and lentil kofte).

Medium bulgur is acceptable too only if you can’t find fine bulgur. But it needs to be soaked for slightly longer.

Some recipes use coarse bulgur (pilavlık), but these don't make authentic Turkish kisir. You never see the usage of coarse bulgur to make this salad in Turkey. It is used in pilaf recipes like our bulgur pilav.

About The Ingredients

Fine bulgur wheat

Use red or white. If you can't find fine, use medium bulgur. 

Tomato paste

It adds a rich, complex savory flavor to the salad. It also helps add a little bit of color to an otherwise pale salad.

Red pepper paste

This is an optional but highly recommended ingredient. It is made from Turkish red bell peppers (hot or sweet) and "cooked" under the sun. So it is super thick and has a very concentrated aroma.

You can find it online under the name "biber salcasi." It has a mildly spicy and slightly sweet flavor. And if you normally love to add some heat to your dishes, you can even use Turkish hot pepper paste (acı biber salçası). If you cannot find it, simply increase the amount of tomato paste.

Pomegranate molasses

This is a must-add. It helps balance the flavors and gives the salad a slightly tart, sour, and fruity flavor.

You can either buy or make pomegranate molasses. It is a staple in nearly all Middle Eastern salad recipes. So having a bottle or two in your pantry will come in handy to prepare your own pomegranate molasses salad dressing.

If you cannot find any, increase the lemon juice to add more tartness or check out the list of best substitutes for pomegranate molasses.

Lemon juice

This bulgur salad has to be tangy, so use as much or less you want. You can start with the juice of half lemon, taste the final result and add more lemon juice if you want.

Herbs

We use finely chopped parsley, mint, and dill. It is perfectly fine to use any of these if you cannot find them all. Plus, we use green onions. The more herbs, the better!

Tomatoes

We use only one tomato. You can even leave it out if you are planning to serve sliced tomatoes on the side.

Cucumbers

We use two baby cucumbers or Persian cucumbers. If you have English cucumber on hand, use a quarter of it. It is up to you to peel the cucumber or not.

Alternative Add-Ins

Some of the most popular add-ins include lettuce leaves, garlic, pickles, white or red cabbage, peppers and fresh pomegranate seeds.

Remember to finely chop all the add-ins to give the salad a fine texture.

How To Prepare Bulgur For Salad

Fine bulgur in this salad doesn’t have to be cooked and can be prepared using the soaking method.

Simply combine the bulgur with hot water (and the spices) and leave it to soak (covered) for roughly 10 minutes. For medium bulgur, you can leave the ingredients to soak for 15 minutes.

Now, if you cannot find fine or medium bulgur, you can use coarse bulgur. However, you will need to use the boiling method to prepare it.

To start, combine 1 cup of coarse bulgur with 2 cups of hot water and spices. Bring the mixture to a rolling boil. Once boiling, lower the heat and allow the mixture to cook for 15 minutes or until the water is absorbed. Very coarse bulgur needs to cook for 20 minutes.

Once the bulgur is cooked, you can rest it for a couple of minutes, then fluff it with a fork and use it in your salad.

How To Make Bulgur Salad

This is one of the best healthy bulgur recipes out there! It is easy to make, relatively quick, and packed with refreshing flavors. This salad is very adjustable and can be customized to suit your preferences.

Prepare the bulgur wheat: Combine the bulgur, dried mint, cumin, paprika, salt and black pepper in a large bowl. Pour boiling water over them and stir the ingredients. Cover the bowl with a lid or kitchen towel and leave it to soak for about 10 minutes.

Prepare the tomato paste sauce: Heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the finely chopped onions and sauté them for 5 minutes or until they become translucent. Next, add the tomato paste (and red pepper paste if you are using any). Stir it in well and leave it to cook for 1-2 minutes.

Assemble: Once the soaked bulgur has risen sufficiently, add in the cooked onion mixture. Stir these ingredients together very well before adding the remaining flavorings. Add the lemon juice and pomegranate molasses. Keep mixing it well until the liquid ingredients are evenly absorbed. Then, fold in the finely chopped herbs, tomatoes and cucumbers.

Serve: Garnish your salad with pickles, sliced tomatoes, and sliced cucumbers. Serve it with freshly washed lettuce leaves on the side.

Expert Tips

• If the soaked burghul is not softened and still has a hard texture, pour a splash of boiling water on it and let it sit for another 5 or 10 minutes. 
• Make sure to mix the soaked bulgur with the cooked onion and tomato paste sauce really well. All the bits should be well coated with this sauce. 
• You can always play with the amount of lemon juice. Taste it when it is ready and add more if you want. This is supposed to be a tangy salad.
• If it looks dry at the end (this might happen depending on the bulgur type you use), add a little more olive oil and mix well.

Variations

Without cooked onion: There is a version that is more famous in the South of Turkey in which you simply leave the cooked onions out of the recipe. Combine extra virgin olive oil, tomato paste and red pepper paste and soaked bulgur really well. Then add in lemon juice, pomegranate molasses, finely chopped herbs, green onions, cucumbers and tomatoes.

With pureed (mashed) tomatoes: This version doesn't contain cooked onions either. It doesn't even require soaking bulgur with hot water. Instead, fine bulgur is mixed with mashed tomatoes, olive oil and spices. The mixture is kneaded with the palm of your hands until bulgur is softened. Then it is combined with the rest of the ingredients.

Serving Suggestions

Let's learn how to serve kisir now. 

It is primarily served as a main dish accompanied by loads of fresh lettuce leaves, pickles, tomatoes and cucumbers. 

Just put a spoonful of bulgur salad in the center of lettuce leaves (gem lettuce is perfect for this) and eat! If you want, you can squeeze more lemon on it. We always do.

In the south of Turkey, when they are in season, fresh grape vine leaves are served on the side instead of lettuce. They are blanched in boiling water for a minute, drained and rinsed under cold water. Then you loosely wrap some burghul salad in these leaves (not as tight as yaprak sarma) and eat it that way. 

It is also great as part of a traditional mezze platter. Serve it together with the following Turkish meze dishes:

• Ezme
• Eggplant Salad
• Hummus
• Mucver
• Haydari
• Feta Cheese Rolls

This bulgur tomato salad makes a great packed lunch too. Put it in an airtight container, place some fresh herbs like lettuce on the top and place the lid on it. Take it to work, school or your favourite picnic place! 

It can also be served as a side dish. Pair it with the following Turkish dishes:

• Turkish Chicken Kebabs
• Adana Kebap
• Kofta Kebab

And there is always a large pot of Turkish tea to be served with or following this salad. It is considered as the best accompaniment to bulgur dishes. Tea relieves bloating especially when you eat too much of it.

Storage

Leftovers can easily be stored in an airtight container. Place it inside the fridge where it will last for roughly 3-4 days. Bring it to room temperature before serving. 

FAQs

Other Turkish Recipes

• Babaganoush Recipe
• Börek Recipe
• Lahmacun
• Chicken Döner

More Salad Recipes

• Wheat Berry Salad
• Black Eye Pea Salad
• Piyaz Salad
• Turkish Potato Salad
• Potato Salad With Tuna
• Green Olives Salad
• Russian Salad