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Turkish

Kısır (bulgur salad)

Vegetarian

Kısır

Fine bulgur soaked and kneaded with tomato and pepper pastes, then tossed with herbs, spring onion, lemon and olive oil. A plant-based Turkish salad for picnics and afternoon get-togethers.

Kısır (bulgur salad) is a Turkish salad from Türkiye, ready in about 40 minutes and made with bulgur wheat and red pepper paste. It serves 6 and is rated beginner to cook.

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Top-down view of a nutritious bulgur salad with fresh vegetables served on a white plate.
Photo: Melike / Pexels · Pexels License
Prep
20 min
Cook
0 min
Rest
20 min
Total
40 min
Serves
6
Level
Beginner
Calories
273

Ingredients

6 servings

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Pour the boiling water over the bulgur (opens in a new tab), cover and leave 15–20 minutes until the water is absorbed.

    • 2 min

  2. Step 2

    Add the tomato (opens in a new tab) and pepper pastes (opens in a new tab), olive oil (opens in a new tab), cumin (opens in a new tab), chilli and salt and knead with your hands for 2–3 minutes until the bulgur (opens in a new tab) is evenly red.

    • 4 min
    Hands kneading dough on a floured surface
    How it looks · Photo: Klaus Nielsen on Pexels

  3. Step 3

    Mix in the lemon juice (opens in a new tab), pomegranate molasses (opens in a new tab), spring onion (opens in a new tab), parsley (opens in a new tab), mint (opens in a new tab) and tomato (opens in a new tab). Taste for salt and sourness.

    • 5 min

  4. Step 4

    Serve with crisp lettuce (opens in a new tab) leaves for scooping.

    • 1 min
    A finished dish being plated
    How it looks · Photo: Willians Huerta on Pexels

About this dish

Origin
Southeastern Anatolia, Türkiye · Commonly attributedRelated to Levantine tabbouleh, but bulgur-led and coloured with pepper paste.More food from Türkiye
Dish
Lunch · Snack · Salads · Side dishes
Cooking method
No-cook
Taste
tangy, fresh, herby, spicy (chilli heat)
Diet
Vegan · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients
All labelsVegan · Plant-based · Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Ovo-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Whole-food focused · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · DASH-style · Carb-conscious
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Make-ahead · Portable / lunchbox · Budget-friendly
Cook more with
Bulgur wheat · Red pepper paste · Tomato paste · Lemon juice · Spring onion · Parsley
Techniques
Boiling · Kneading

Allergens

  • Contains: Wheatfrom bulgur wheat
  • Contains: Glutenfrom bulgur wheat

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

273 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 182 g · recipe makes 6

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 9%
  • Carbohydrate 51%
  • Fat 40%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy273 kcal150 kcal
Protein6.4 g3.5 g
Carbohydrate36.6 g20.2 g
Net carbohydrate29.8 g16.4 g
Sugars2.5 g1.4 g
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre6.7 g3.7 g
Fat13 g7.2 g
Saturated fat1.8 g1 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol0 mg0 mg
Sodium410 mg226 mg
Salt equivalent1 g0.6 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
431 mg
Calcium
53 mg
Iron
2.4 mg
Magnesium
86 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
77 µg
Vitamin C
26 mg
Vitamin D
0 µg
Vitamin B12
0 µg
Folate (DFE)
44 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: pomegranate molasses, lettuce.
  • Red pepper paste: Tomato paste (FDC 170459) used as a stand-in for Turkish biber salçası; both are sun- or cook-concentrated nightshade pastes of similar density.
  • Red chilli flakes: Ground cayenne (FDC 170932) used as a stand-in for dried chilli flakes such as pul biber or Aleppo pepper.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Kneading the pastes in while the bulgur is still warm gives the best colour.

Common mistakes

  • Using coarse (pilavlık) bulgur — it stays hard when only soaked; use fine bulgur.

Storage

  • Refrigerate up to 3 days; add the herbs fresh if keeping longer.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in steps 1, 2, 3, 4

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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