Seriously Delicious Bulgur Fried Rice

Sometimes you just want comfort food without particular effects attached to it. Personally, I’m trying to move away from linking ‘guilt’ to particular foods because really, who is putting me on trial?

But aside from this, sometimes for me I feel sluggish or heavier than I’d like after particular foods I want to indulge in for comfort. One of these for me is rice. I absolutely love rice but hardly eat it these days because it often makes me feel lethargic when I have it more than once a week.

Over time I’ve found alternatives which I enjoy in different ways such as Quinoa, Couscous and Bulgur Wheat. Usually I opt for the last two and enjoy couscous with Tagine or in a warm salad. However my absolute favourite is Bulgur Wheat hands down! Whether it’s in Turkish food, or made at home into Bulgur Jollof – I always seem to enjoy it and never feel bloated after having it.

Recently I’ve had cravings for Fried Rice and wanted to enjoy it without feeling heavy – instantly, I knew Bulgur Wheat would come to the rescue. Part of what makes it just right for me is ensuring I use the medium or coarse option so that it feels closer to rice instead.

Over time, I’ve also learned a few tricks that helped with ensuring the best results with this grain such as:

• Making sure I don’t add too much water when cooking. Usually I’ll add less than I think I need and then let it steam in the end if need be by covering the lid of the pot or wok with foil. Usually this helps to ensure a nice fluffy result.
• I also tend to cook it on a slightly lower heat for half the time so it doesn’t burn quickly as it’s a smaller grain generally.
• Finally, let the stock do the work. For alternative grains, sometimes I find the taste a little bland if I don’t incorporate some sort of flavour using stocks. You can choose to use vegetable, meat or chicken stock – either works fine but overall it’s a great way to intensify the flavour in the dish instead of using water.

As always, I’ve tried to make sure this recipe is as simple as it can be. The number one tip I’d give here is to try and make sure you don’t overcook the prawns! However, if you want to make this vegetarian friendly, you can omit the prawns completely.

A few quick things to remember for this dish in particular are:

• Use raw prawns and make sure you don’t overcook them! If you do, you’ll end up with rubbery prawns that are a lot smaller than they need to be.
• Trust me on the butter – it makes everything taste better!
• Let the bulgur cool if you can before you start making the dish.

Enjoy it and let me know how you find it!

Love,
Marbie

Seriously Delicious Bulgur Fried Rice

The perfect alternative to traditional fried rice, this Bulgur Wheat recipe is great for enjoying alone or sharing with others. Super easy to adapt as you can make it vegetarian friendly by removing the prawns or add more seafood if you prefer.

• 500g Frozen Mixed Veg
• 2.5 cups Bulgur Wheat (medium or coarse)
• 250g Raw King Prawns (cleaned and shells removed )
• 2 White onions (sliced thinly)
• 1 Sprig of Spring Onion (sliced)
• 3 knobs of Garlic (minced or sliced thinly)
• 2 Birds Eye Chillies (sliced thinly)
• 1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 2 tbsp Unsalted Butter (room temperature)
• 1/2 tbsp Mild Curry Powder
• 1/2 tbsp Mixed Herbs ((alternatively you can use fresh parsley & thyme))
• 1 tbsp Jumbo/Chicken Boullion Powder

1. Soak the frozen mixed veg in warm water 

2. Boil 2.5 cups of bulgur with equal parts water until cooked. There is no need to wash the Bulgur Wheat. Once cooked, fluff with a fork to separate and leave to cool.

3. Heat olive oil and butter in a pan/wok on a medium-high hear. (You may want to stand back as this combo tends to splash)

4. Add the onions, chillies, spring onions and garlic and let sautée.

5. Add some black coarse pepper, stir to combine and let sautée 

6. Add the mixed herbs and mild curry powder then stir to combine

7. Add the mixed veg (after straining the water out of them with a sieve/colander) and a tbsp jumbo. Stir and let sautee

8. Add the raw prawns and stir. Cook until prawns are light pink 

9. Add the cooked bulgur wheat bit by bit and keep stirring to combine.

10. Turn the heat off, serve and enjoy.