Kısır (Turkish Bulgur Salad)
کِسِر (ترکی بلغور سلاد)
Kısır is what Turkish women bring to a gathering, to tea afternoons, picnics and iftar tables. It's a bulgur salad, related to tabbouleh, but redder, spicier and more tangy: fine is softened with hot water, kneaded with tomato and pepper until every grain is coloured, then mixed with plenty of herbs, spring onions, lemon and sweet-sour . It needs no cooking, keeps well and tastes better after an hour.
- ⏱ Total: 25 min
- Prep: 25 min
- Easy
- Serves 6
Method
Tap a step when it is done.
Put the bulgur in a large bowl, pour over the boiling water, stir once, cover with a plate and leave for 15 minutes until the water is absorbed and the grains are tender.
Add the tomato and pepper pastes and the olive oil. Knead with your hand for 2–3 minutes, rubbing the bulgur between your fingers, until every grain is evenly red.
Add the lemon juice, pomegranate molasses, pul biber, cumin and salt and mix well.
Fold in the tomatoes, cucumber, spring onions, parsley and mint. Taste and adjust the lemon, molasses and salt; it should be tangy and bright.
Let it rest for 30 minutes before serving. Serve with lettuce leaves to scoop it up.
Kitchen notes
Use fine bulgur. Coarse bulgur won't soften with just hot water.
The kneading step matters. It colours the bulgur evenly and makes the salad taste seasoned all through, not just coated.
It keeps for 2 days in the fridge, but add the cucumber just before serving so it stays crisp.
The salad Turkish women bring
In Turkey, kısır is closely tied to altın günü, “gold days”, afternoon gatherings where women take turns hosting friends with tea, cakes and savoury dishes. It’s also a picnic favourite and a staple of iftar tables, because it can be made hours ahead and doesn’t spoil easily.
No cooking, lots of flavour
Soften the bulgur. Fine only needs boiling water poured over it and 15 minutes under a lid.
Knead in the pastes. Kneading tomato and pepper and olive oil into the warm bulgur colours it evenly red and seasons every grain.
Balance sour and sweet. Lemon juice and , pomegranate molasses, give kısır its signature tang. Taste and adjust; it should be bright.
Herbs and crunch. Plenty of parsley, mint and spring onion, plus diced tomato and cucumber.
Pakistani pantry notes
Coriander works in place of parsley. For pomegranate molasses, simmer anardana with a little water and sugar and strain it. Fine dalia can replace fine bulgur if soaked longer.
Serving
Serve with crisp lettuce leaves to scoop it up, as part of a spread, alongside grilled meat, or packed for a picnic. It’s also good at iftar.
Questions people ask
How is kısır different from tabbouleh?
Tabbouleh is mostly parsley with a little bulgur. Kısır is mostly bulgur, coloured red with tomato and pepper paste and flavoured with pomegranate molasses.
Can I use dalia?
Fine dalia can work: soak it in boiling water for 20–25 minutes, or steam it for 5 minutes, until tender, then follow the recipe.
How do I make pomegranate molasses at home?
Simmer 2 tablespoons of anardana powder with half a cup of water and a teaspoon of sugar for 10 minutes, then strain and reduce until syrupy.
Nutrition (estimate, per serving)
- Calories
- 210
- Protein
- 4 g
- Fat
- 10 g
- Carbs
- 28 g
