Name: Fertile Crescent Bulgur & Mung Bean Pilaf
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 1 h 10 min
Yield: Servings: 4
Ingredients: 1 cup chopped fresh dill, parsley, cilantro, or basil; 1 cup mung beans, picked over and washed; 2 tablespoons cumin seeds; 2½ teaspoons salt; 1 large fresh tomato, peeled and sliced; 1 tablespoon butter; 2 large onions, peeled and thinly sliced; ¼ cup vegetable oil, butter or ghee; 2 Thai bird or serrano chilies, seeded and chopped; 1-inch fresh ginger, peeled and grated; 4 cups water; 2 cloves garlic, crushed and peeled; ½ teaspoon ground turmeric; ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; 2 cups coarse bulgur wheat

Preparation info

Servings:
4

Difficulty
Easy
Ready in
1 hr 10

Appears in

Silk Road Cooking

By Najmieh Batmanglij

Published 2000

About

Bulgur has been made in the Fertile Crescent—that vast swathe of the Middle East where farming began in the 9th millennium bce—since ancient times. Bulgur is created by removing the husk of the wheat and steaming, drying, and crushing the berries. It was replaced as a staple, in many of the countries along the Silk Road, by rice or noodles.