Kisir - Turkish bulgur salad

Kisir is a simple, flavor-packed Turkish bulgur salad with a savory-tart dressing, herbs and vegetables. It's easy to make, bright and light. Great as a meze dish or a side.

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When I first had this bulgur salad at a Turkish restaurant in London many years ago now, it was described on the menu as a Turkish tabbouleh with pomegranate. And while it has some similarities, it's definitely it's own dish.

Don't get me wrong, I am a big, big fan of tabbouleh, but this salad is well worth getting to know, too. Kisir seems to be less well known, but it's a staple of Turkish cuisine, and for good reason. It's quick and easy to make with lovely bright flavors.

What is bulgur?

Bulgur is a popular ingredient in Eastern Mediterranean cooking, and has been for centuries. It's made by parboiling, drying and cracking (or grinding) wheat berries, most typically durum wheat. However the type of wheat can vary. Being wheat, it's not without carbs, but it is a whole grain and high in both fiber and folate.

You will find different sizes or cuts of bulgur but these generally fall in to two main types:

• Fine bulgur - used for salads like tabbouleh and kisir.
• Coarse bulgur - used is soups and stews like ezogelin soup, as well as cooked as a pilaf. You might also see this labeled as cracked bulgur.

While traditionally you use fine bulgur for this, it can be a little harder to source, I have tended to find, though you can buy it online. It does make for a lighter, easier-to-eat dish. That said, if you can only find coarse bulgur, that would work as an alternative, you may just want to simmer it a few minutes to ensure it softens.

How is kisir different from tabbouleh?

If you look at the list of ingredients like bulgur, parsley, tomatoes and cucumber, you will probably see a lot of overlap with tabbouleh. In fact, kisir is generally considered to be a variation on tabbouleh that evolved in Southern Turkey.

These days, the dishes have a few key differences:

• The dressing for kisir is much thicker and has a distinct red-orange color. It still includes extra virgin olive oil, and often lemon, but also has tomato paste and, usually, pomegranate molasses.
• While some versions of tabbouleh you'll see overseas have more grains, traditionally it's a very herb-dense salad. Kisir uses a much smaller amount of herbs and other additions and is really all about the bulgur. As a result it's a slightly heartier dish.

You could, in theory, skip the pomegranate molasses which is basically a syrup made from pomegranate juice. However for me it's an essential part of the flavor and it's easier to find than you might think (you can get pomegranate molasses online, if you can't find in store - affiliate link).

Preparation tips

This dish is, as I say, quick and easy to make, but a couple things to note:

• I highly recommend measuring the boiling water to get the proportions right, to help ensure a nice fluffy texture without being soggy.
• Cut the vegetables relatively small - this shouldn't be a particularly chunky salad.
• If you can only find English rather than Persian cucumber, remove seeds to keep it crisper.
• Break up the soaked bulgur grains with a fork to help them separate before adding the dressing.
• Mix the dressing into the prepared bulgur before you add the other ingredients - you want to make sure the grains are all coated evenly. If you add all together, both it might not mix evenly and you can end up breaking up the other ingredients.

Other than that, it's all pretty easy! If you like, you can include red pepper paste in the dressing which is common in Turkish cooking, but it can be tricky to find. Some use the spicy version, or add some Aleppo pepper, to give a little more heat to the dish. Another optional addition is mint for a little extra fresh herbiness, though it's less typical.

Serving ideas and storage

Kisir is traditionally served as part of a meze platter, where lots of small plates are served together at the start of the meal, or even to make a meal in itself, depending how much is included. Things that would pair well include stuffed grape leaves, dips and other salads.

You can serve it simply with a spoon or scoop it up with lettuce leaves. It would be equally good as a side dish to grilled meat or vegetables, for example. I really like it as a light lunch, with maybe a couple other small things on the side, like another salad or some pita chips and dips.

Kisir holds up well to transporting, so it's great for a potluck, picnic or boxed lunch. It also stores well in the fridge if you want to prepare ahead or keep leftovers for the next day. Though if you know you are preparing ahead, you might want to hold back the tomato until right before serving to keep it all in best condition.

However you serve it, kisir is an easy, versatile salad that's packed with flavor. The soft bulgur is deliciously tart from the dressing, with just enough crunch from the cucumber to add texture. Be sure to add it to your to-make list!

Looking for ideas to serve with kisir? Try these:

• Lamb kofte
• Roasted eggplant with tahini
• Lahmacun (Turkish flatbread/pizza)
• Some pita bread with hummus (like Ottolenghi's recipe), muhammara and/or baba ghanoush.
• Plus see the Turkish recipes and Middle Eastern recipes archives for more ideas.

See some of my favorite cooking tools and ingredients in the Caroline's Cooking Amazon store. 

This post was first shared in June 2019 and has been updated, primarily with new photos and additional information.

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