Bulgur, Mint and Cucumber Salad

This salad is associated with southeastern Anatolia, but it has spread all round the country, with regional variations. In my mother’s restaurant in Bodrum I learned to include pickles and pickle juice to add saltiness and contrast to the sweetness of the molasses. The trick here is to use just the right amount of boiling water—too little and the grain will be crunchy, too much and it will be mush. The Turkish name is strange—the word kısır literally means ‘infertile’, which is ha