Name: Bulgur pilaf with mushrooms
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Turkish (Anatolian)
Ingredients: 2 cups coarse bulgur (pilavlık bulgur), about 340 g; 4 cups hot meat stock, chicken stock or water, about 800 ml; 300 g button mushrooms, quartered or thickly sliced; 2 tbsp butter; 2 tbsp olive oil; 1 medium onion, finely chopped; 2 Turkish green peppers (sivri biber), or half a red romano pepper; diced; 1 tbsp tomato paste; 1 tsp Turkish red pepper paste (biber salçası); 1 tsp salt, use less if your stock is salty; ½ tsp black pepper; ½ tsp Turkish chilli flakes (pul biber); plain yoghurt or cacık; Turkish pickles

Bulgur pilavı is one of the simplest and best-loved dishes in Anatolian home cooking. Adding mushrooms makes it more filling and gives it a savoury depth that stands up even without meat.

The secret to fluffy, separate grains is the ratio and the rest: 1 cup of coarse bulgur to 2 cups of hot water or stock, then 10 minutes steaming under a tea towel. We brown the mushrooms hard first so they don't water down the pilaf.

Servings 4

Method

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Wipe the mushrooms and quarter or thickly slice them. Finely chop the onion and dice the peppers. Bring the stock to the boil in a separate pan and keep it hot.
~10 min
Heat the butter and olive oil in a wide, heavy-based pan over a high heat. Add the mushrooms; they'll release their liquid first, so keep stirring for about 7 minutes until it has completely evaporated and the mushrooms are browned.
~7 min
Turn the heat down to medium, add the onion and peppers and cook for 5 minutes until the onion is soft and the peppers have darkened.
~5 min
Stir in the tomato paste and pepper paste and cook for 1–2 minutes, until the raw smell has gone and the colour deepens.
~2 min
Add the bulgur and stir for 2–3 minutes until every grain is coated in the paste and has absorbed the fat.
~3 min
Pour in the hot stock, add the salt, black pepper and chilli flakes, stir once and bring to the boil. Then turn the heat to its lowest, cover and cook without stirring for 15–16 minutes, until all the liquid has been absorbed and small holes appear on the surface.
~16 min
Turn off the heat, lay a clean tea towel or kitchen paper over the pan, put the lid back on and leave to steam for 10 minutes. Fluff up with a fork and serve with yoghurt or cacık and pickles.
~2 min

Enjoy!

The mushroom in this recipe

Button mushroom Agaricus bisporus

About this species Grow it at home Fresh mushrooms

Mushroom swaps

Chestnut mushroom Agaricus bisporusGives a darker, earthier flavour; cook it the same way.
Oyster mushroom Pleurotus ostreatusTear into large strips; it releases less water, so brown it for 2 minutes less.
Porcini Boletus edulisSoak 20 g dried porcini in warm water and mix with button mushrooms; use the strained soaking liquid as part of the stock.

Tips

Use coarse pilaf bulgur; fine bulgur (for köfte) turns mushy.
Always add the liquid hot; cold liquid softens the outside of the grains and leaves the centre hard.
Don't lift the lid to stir while it cooks, or the grains will break.
For a vegan version, use olive oil instead of butter and vegetable stock instead of meat stock.

Storage

Refrigerate within an hour of cooking; it keeps in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Sprinkle with a spoonful or two of water and reheat covered over a low heat, or in the microwave, until piping hot.

Read our guide to storing mushrooms →

Bulgur pilaf with mushrooms

Ingredients

Pilaf

To serve

Method

The mushroom in this recipe

Mushroom swaps

Tips

Storage

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Before you cook: clean, store, dry