Kisir is a salad from Gaziantep. You need the fine-ground (not medium) bulgur, which you can find in Middle Eastern stores. The chili pepper gives it a thrilling zing but you can leave it out. Serve the salad with little lettuce leaves that can be used as scoops.

　　

Ingredients

serves 6

　　1 cup fine bulgur

　　1/2 cup boiling water

　　1 tablespoon tomato paste

　　Juice of 1 1/2 lemons

　　5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

　　1/2 to 1 fresh red or green chili pepper, finely chopped

　　Salt

　　5 to 7 scallions

　　3 tomatoes (about 11 ounces), diced

　　1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

　　2 tablespoons chopped mint leaves

　　To serve: 2 Little Gem (baby romaine) lettuces

　　

Step 1

Put the bulgur into a bowl, pour the boiling water over it, stir, and leave for 15 to 20 minutes, until the grain is tender. Don’t be tempted to add more water since the juice from the lemons and tomatoes will soften it further.

　　

Step 2

Add the tomato paste, lemon juice, olive oil, chili pepper, and some salt and mix thoroughly. Trim the green tops off the scallions, then slice them finely. Add them and the diced tomatoes to the bulgur mixture, together with the parsley and mint and mix well.

　　

Step 3

Serve with the small lettuce leaves stuck around the edges of the salad. Another way is to roll the bulgur mixture into oval balls the size of a small egg and to place each one in the hollow of a lettuce leaf.

　　

variation

Step 4

Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of pomegranate molasses (see page 7) to the dressing. This gives the grain a sweet-and-sour flavor.

　　Arabesque