Smoked Bulgur and Pomegranate Salad

Recipe from Ori Menashe

Adapted by Joan Nathan

Smoked Bulgur and Pomegranate Salad — Julia Gartland for The New York Times

Total Time: 1½ hours
Rating: 5(62)
Notes: Read community notes

This colorful and flavorful mountain of bulgur, flecked with pomegranates, walnuts and herbs, is typical of the out-of-the box thinking of the chef Ori Menashe. He learned how to char vegetables in a heavy pan from chefs from Mexico City, who did a pop-up at his Los Angeles restaurant Bestia before it opened and showed him their technique for adding a smoky flavor to rice. (Libyan and Egyptian cooks also have started stews this way for centuries.) Just be careful about the hot pepper as it chars; it might make you cough, so keep the window open for the 6 minutes it takes to do this. This recipe yields 8 cups of cooked bulgur, but you only need 6 cups for the salad. Use those leftover 2 cups in other salads or add them to soups for heft and texture. —Joan Nathan

Featured in: The Bestia and Bavel Chefs on Feasting After the Yom Kippur Fast

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Ingredients

Yield:6 to 8 servings

For the Bulgur

½large yellow Spanish onion, peeled and quartered
1celery stalk, halved crosswise
1small carrot, peeled and halved crosswise
3fresh bay leaves (or use 1 dried)
1Fresno or Serrano chile, halved lengthwise
2tablespoons kosher salt
1pound coarse bulgur (about 2⅔ cups)

For the Vinaigrette

¼cup red wine vinegar
1teaspoon minced shallot
½teaspoon kosher salt
¼teaspoon ground black pepper
½cup extra-virgin olive oil

For Assembly

1cup pomegranate seeds
1cup toasted walnuts, roughly chopped
4tablespoons finely diced red onion
½cup fresh mint leaves, roughly chopped
16fresh basil leaves, torn into small pieces
Kosher salt and black pepper
½cup crème fraîche
1garlic clove, finely minced
1Serrano chile, seeded and finely minced
4tablespoons fresh dill, finely snipped
1teaspoon pomegranate molasses

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

Step 1
Prepare the bulgur: In a large, dry heavy pan over high heat, use tongs to char the onion, celery, carrot, bay leaves and chile until completely burnt, about 6 to 8 minutes. Add 8 cups of water and the salt, and cook until reduced by half, about 25 minutes.
Step 2
Put the bulgur in a large bowl. Strain and pour the hot charred vegetable stock over the bulgur. Stir the bulgur and cover with plastic wrap until all the liquid is absorbed, about 30 minutes. (Drain the bulgur if there is any water left in the bowl.) This will yield about 8 cups bulgur. (You can use extra bulgur for a side dish, toss it into salads, like tabbouleh, or add it to soups.)
Step 3
Meanwhile, make the vinaigrette: Mix the vinegar and shallot in a small bowl and set aside for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with the salt and pepper, then slowly drizzle in the olive oil while whisking until the dressing is emulsified.
Step 4
Assemble the salad: In a large bowl, mix 6 cups of the bulgur, the pomegranate seeds, walnuts, red onion, mint and basil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the vinaigrette and toss until just incorporated, but don’t overmix. Taste and adjust the salt as needed.
Step 5
In a small bowl, stir together the crème fraîche, garlic, chile and dill and spread the mixture on the bottom of a serving platter. Pile the salad on top and finish with a drizzle of pomegranate molasses and a pinch more pepper.

Ratings

5 out of 5

62 user ratings

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Cooking Notes

SharonATX5 years ago

WOW, this is DELICIOUS. We used 1/2 chicken stock for the bulgur stock for more flavor and it's the best tasting bulgur we've ever had. Normally, we can't abide fruit in our salads, but the pomegranate seeds worked in here. Instead of drizzling the pomegranate molasses on top (way too viscous/intense-tasting to drizzle), we just added a dollop to the creme fraiche spread. SO, so good. Next time, might double the dressing to add to some greens and then put the bulgur salad on top.

carolyne4 years ago

I didn't have bulgur so I replaced with quinoa. Delicious! I love this recipe.

Yas6 months ago

Made with quinoa as well because I couldnt find bulgur. Also cooked the quinoa using veggie broth instead of making my own because I didnt have time and it came out deliciously! Might add some feta next time too. A really great grain salad.

Mubarra9 months ago

Awesome Recipes.

Amanda11 months ago

This was great, but the smokiness from the broth didn’t come through for me. I would just make the bulgur with high quality broth and follow the recipe as is.

smroy2 years ago

Outstanding. Substituted farro. Lots of flavor.

linda2 years ago

if i want to substitute the pomegranate molasses what do i use? thanks.

Goldie2 years ago

What's a good substitute for the lactose intolerant please?

Lisa2 years ago

Vegan Cream Cheese has a good texture and a slight twang - so I use it as a substitute for creme fraiche. (may need to thin it down a little bit - depends on the brand) Might also try vegan sour cream - if the brand you use has the right texture.

carolyne4 years ago

I didn't have bulgur so I replaced with quinoa. Delicious! I love this recipe.

Phyllis5 years ago

This is a tasty recipe and serves as a great base for adding more toppings. We added cubed chicken and would add some more veggies next time. The process of charring the vegetables was a little tedious and I was worried about setting off the smoke alarm, so the carrot and celery didn’t really get charred, but it still tasted delicious!

km10 months ago

ha i did set off the smoke alarm

Carol5 years ago

Made this substituting Quinoa(gluten free) for bulgur. It was fantastic. I used all 8 cups of Quinoa and adjusted the amounts of the other ingredients slightly. It made a huge amount; which was perfect for a large break the fast contingent. Next time, I would toast the Quinoa in a PC and then add the liquid to the PC, cook on high pressure one minute and let pressure release naturally(about 10 minutes or less). Did not increase the amount of dressing. Asked by many to make the recipe again.

Carol5 years ago

Forgot to mention that since it was made at the last minute, did not have enough time or ingredients to make proper crème fraiche. Instead, I soured whole cream with lemon juice rather than buttermilk, etc. It still tasted divine!! People were scraping up the bottom to make sure they got all the crème mixture. Will definitely make again. Next time, I'll try half the recipe.

Bethperson5 years ago

Do you toss out the charred vegetables or reserve & add back in to the bulgur?

SharonATX5 years ago

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