Another Whole Grain Option: How to Make Bulgur

For those looking to add more or different whole grains to their diet, bulgur is a quick-cooking option. (Bulgur is not the name of a specific grain; it's actually wheat kernels that have been parboiled, dried and ground into smaller sizes.)

Use bulgur plain (in lieu of brown rice or quinoa) to soak up the flavors of a stew, braise or chili. Also use it as a component of a hodgepodge salad; bulgur would work great in the chickpea-feta cheese-cauliflower-kohlrabi-kale salad I described on Friday.

Bulgur, which is high in fiber, manganese and the vitamin Bs, is simple to cook. You can simmer it (2 parts water to 1 part bulgur) for about 15 minutes. Even simpler is pouring boiling water over bulgur, which will soften and cook it. (Make sure the bulgur is in a bowl before pouring the water!)

I made bulgur this morning by pouring 1½ cups of boiling water over 1 cup of bulgur. After about 15 minutes (and one or two stirs) the water had been absorbed; if water does remain, drain the mixture—make sure the bulgur is soft—through a fine-mesh strainer. My 1 cup of dried bulgur resulted in about 2 ½ cups of cooked.