This week’s recipe is a simple (but delicious!) take on the “lamb and grain” concept so common in food cultures of landlocked areas with harsh climates. It’s by no means traditional. Such traditional “lamb and grain” dishes are very simple, with few – if any – flavourings beyond its two main ingredients.
Here, I’ve used bulgur and lean lamb for a tasty meal that cooks up quickly. I build flavour with ingredients also common in Eastern Turkey and the Middle East. I’ve also added a more modern touch with a lemony yoghurt on top, to provide that much needed contrast of freshness and acidity to what is otherwise a fairly rich dish.
Serve with a simple and zingy green salad (pro tip: add a generous handful of herb leaves to your salad) and you’re good to go for a wonderful dinner!
Bulgur pilaf with lamb & lemon yoghurt
Ingredients
- 60 ml olive oil, I use a mild extra virgin, plus extra for browning the meat
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 50 g tomato paste
- 25 g Turkish sweet red pepper paste (tatlı biber salçası)
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp isot biber (Urfa pepper)
- 800 ml water, generous 3 cups
- 600 g boneless lamb meat, leg or shoulder, cut into 1–2 cm (½–1 in) dice
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 bay leaves
- 250 g coarse bulgur (pilavlık), rinsed and drained
- 500 g Turkish green peppers (sivri/çarliston biber), or other green peppers, cored and cut into 2 cm (1 in) dice
- 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1–2 Tbsp lemon juice
- 10 g flat leaf parsley (Italian parsley), or fresh coriander (cilantro), roughly chopped
- salt and pepper
For the lemon yoghurt
- 250 g Greek yoghurt
- 1 tsp preserved lemon, or grated zest from ½ lemon
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- salt and pepper
How I make it
- For extra flavour, brown the meat in batches with a little oil in a thick-bottomed frying pan over medium/high heat. Set aside. This step is optional.
- Heat a thick-bottomed pot over medium heat. Fry the onion in 2 Tbsp (30 ml) olive oil along with a pinch of salt until soft and starting to colour, 12–15 minutes or more. Stir regularly to avoid burning. Add tomato paste, red pepper paste, cumin and isot biber. Fry for another minute or so, stirring constantly. Add water, meat (with any juices from the browning), cinnamon stick and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and cover. Simmer until the meat is tender, about an hour. For a less dominant cinnamon flavour, remove the cinnamon stick after 20–30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, heat a thick-bottomed frying pan over medium heat (I use the same one that I used for browning the meat). Fry the green peppers in the remaining 2 Tbsp (30 ml) of olive oil until softened and starting to brown at the edges, 15–20 minutes or more. Stir regularly to prevent burning. Add garlic and fry, stirring constantly, for an additional minute. Take off the heat.
- At the same time, prepare the lemon yoghurt by mixing all the ingredients in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
- When the meat is tender, season the broth with salt and pepper. Stir in the bulgur and the fried green peppers. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer uncovered until the bulgur is tender, but the dish still juicy, 8–12 minutes. Add more water if necessary.
- Season to taste with lemon juice, salt and pepper. Serve topped with lemon yoghurt, a sprinkle of chili flakes and fresh herbs.
