Couscous, bulgur and quinoa are now in fashion. They are on the menu of restaurants, they are in culinary television programs, they are on store shelves. However, not everyone understands how to cook this exotic. Konstantin Ivlev, chef of the restaurant Sail  shared with readers website  their knowledge of couscous, bulgur and quinoa.

Couscous

Konstantin, couscous is what?
  This is cereal, like semolina. From the point of view of culinary imagination, couscous is a real transformer product: it’s good for everything, from fruits and vegetables to meat, fish, seafood and even sweets. Personally, I would advise adding couscous to the fish soup, to the soup with vegetables, or to the soup with lamb. I would also combine it with a turkey or chicken.

What are some ways to cook couscous?
  Boil couscous with boiling water, close and let it brew. When the cereal is steamed, grease your hands with oil and begin to loosen it to make it friable. The second way, when couscous is boiled for 1-2 minutes and served or cooked on with some additives. You can pour couscous with cold water and boiling water. The ratio of water to cereals is usually indicated on the packaging. Personally, I pour so much water that it covers couscous per centimeter.

Many complain that couscous is fresh ...
  If fresh, salt. And I advise you to add butter, as in any porridge. Then couscous is crazy to taste!

What to do with couscous as a side dish?
  Steamed couscous, and then add a little grated parmesan and finely chopped tomatoes. Ideally! A great side dish for any kind of meat, fish or seafood. Couscous combines all sorts of fish. And if you look in general at the countries where it is used in cooking, then in the same Spain, for example, everything is combined with it, even pork.

And what vegetables do you recommend adding to couscous?
  Vegetables are best added fresh or grilled. Eggplant, carrots, asparagus, beans - Kenyan or green, peas are suitable for couscous. The best option is onion, zucchini, zucchini. And even potatoes, if, for example, bake it with rosemary and garlic, then chop and mix with couscous.

What spices and herbs to add to couscous?
Thyme, thyme, oregano, marjoram, basil. The combination with mint turns out to be completely crazy, especially when couscous with fish or fruit is cooked. If you cook with pork, I recommend sage, it interrupts fat. Personally, I like to add thyme and a whole slightly crushed clove of garlic. The taste is spicy with an unusual spicy aroma.

How to cook couscous with dried fruits?
  First brew couscous, pour hot water, let stand and loosen with butter. At this time, dried fruit - dried apricots, dried cranberries and figs - pour over boiling water. Mix couscous with dried fruits and be sure to add mint and nuts - roasted cashews or roasted peanuts. At the end, as garlic is put on pilaf, put lime and put on bake. Lime will give freshness, aroma and a slight acidity. Warm dried fruits will give a bright, sweet taste, and nuts will add a twist.

Are there any foods that you should not add to couscous?
  Tarragon is categorically not suitable for couscous, it is bright, sweet, and at the same time sour.

Bulgur

Another groat we have is bulgur.
  So far, our bulgur is not very famous, but the grits are interesting. It is most common in Asia. Bulgur is essentially wheat. Steamed, partially peeled and crushed. Three flavoring constituents can be identified in bulgur: couscous, millet and pearl barley.

What to cook with bulgur?
  Krupa is universal for soups and for second courses. The texture and taste will go well with black cod, Chilean sea bass, halibut, meat - with lamb.

Do bulgur, like couscous, need to be steamed?
  It is better to soak it, like beans or pearl barley: pour cold water to reduce cooking time and so that gluten opens properly, otherwise bulgur will turn into porridge. Salt and then cook for 25 to 40 minutes.

And if you cook bulgur as an independent dish?
  In this case, bulgur should be done in the risotto style, on chicken stock, with garlic and thyme. At the end, add salt, a little olive and butter. For freshness, color and texture contrast, you can add green peas. In the risotto style, bulgur will be cooked for about 25-30 minutes.

Is bulgur in soup good?
  Bulgur is best added to the "heavy" soup to reveal and emphasize its taste. I would recommend adding it to goulash-style soup. But it is better to use smaller tomato paste and paprika, bulgur does not really like them.

And with which vegetables is it better to combine, and which spices to choose?
You can make bulgur with tomatoes or cucumbers. Sweet pepper is also good. You can make a salad of fresh vegetables with bulgur. Of the spices - thyme, rosemary, marjoram, cardamom, cinnamon, star anise and cloves. In principle, the same spices are suitable here as for couscous. But I do not recommend adding tarragon to bulgur.

What is contraindicated for bulgur?
  Beets and cabbage will not fit the bulgur. Egg and potatoes. And, of course, bulgur refuses dried fruits.

Quinoa

Why do you like quinoa?
  Quinoa has a nutty taste with a light aroma of fresh grass. Sheer joy for vegetarians, losing weight and fasting. In composition, this cereal of the ancient Incas is rich in vitamins, and proteins, and amino acids, and unsaturated fatty acids. Alternative to rice, bulgur and couscous in soups, salads and side dishes.

How to cook quinoa?
  Boil, like rice or buckwheat, 15-20 minutes. For one part of quinoa, take two parts of water or broth, meat or vegetable. Before cooking, it would be good to rinse with cold water so that it is less bitter. No need to add salt: the cereal itself is brackish. When cooked, mix well with a fork. The main thing is not to digest the mess. You can also cook quinoa like risotto - first fry in oil for a couple of minutes in a pan, and then cook.

What foods do you recommend combining quinoa with?
  From vegetables, I would prefer fried eggplant, sweet pepper, zucchini, onions and leeks. Plus tomatoes, zucchini, spinach, asparagus, carrots, corn, stem celery, green peas, fresh cucumbers and radishes. From legumes - chickpeas and beans. Quail, chicken and turkey, as well as mushrooms, are suitable. And seafood - mussels, squid, shrimp.

How to season?
  Thyme, basil, rosemary, cilantro, parsley, green onions, garlic, lime. From spices - caraway seeds, turmeric, chili pepper.

What is original can be made from quinoa?
  Here, sweet food options will be good - puddings, cereals, desserts. For example, such a recipe: rinse a glass of quinoa with water, then pour two glasses of milk, add sugar to taste and cook. Then cool and put in layers, alternating with apple or plum marmalade in tall glasses, cool well in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours and serve.

At all times, wheat has been the most important cereal crop in terms of its nutritional value and its impact on the health of the human body. Not everyone knows that a large number of cereals are made precisely from wheat, for example, semolina, couscous, bulgur.

What is bulgur?

Bulgur is a widespread variation of wheat groats in Asia. The essence of its manufacture is the processing of wheat grains with steam, their drying (preferably in the sun), cleaning and then grinding. Thanks to this method of preparing cereals, bulgur is quickly cooked and retains more valuable vitamins and nutrients.

Crushed bulgur is of three types - fine, medium and coarse. Thin (fine) is used for baking, medium for adding to salads, soups and as a side dish, and coarse (coarse grind) is used in dishes such as pilaf or as a side dish.

Benefit and harm

Bulgur contains a large amount of vitamins, such as B vitamins, nicotinic acid, vitamin E, as well as trace elements such as potassium, magnesium, calcium, phosphorus, iron and copper.

This combination of nutrients makes it an extremely valuable food product that will help:

• increase stress resistance;
• lower blood glucose;
• control cholesterol;
• improve the appearance of skin and hair;
• rid the body of toxins and toxins.

In this case, the use of bulgur can adversely affect:

• gluten allergies;
• peptic ulcer disease;
• increased acidity of the stomach;
• bloating and diarrhea.

How to cook bulgur in a pan?

The classic method of cooking bulgur - its cooking in a pan. There are several subtleties of making a loose side dish from this grits.

It should be noted that porridge is not cooked from bulgur, since this cereal is never boiled to a state of gruel.

Before cooking, grits must be prepared. Preparation is carried out by two methods, each hostess chooses the most attractive for herself.

1. Pre-soaking.This is the most “healthy” processing method. The cereal is placed in a convenient large container and poured with hot water in an amount exceeding the volume of the cereal by 1.5-2 times. In this state, leave for half an hour, after which they begin cooking. Often they simply use the steaming method, when the cereal is poured with boiling water, it is well wrapped and left for a period of up to 1 hour, then later it can not be cooked.
2. Preliminary roasting.Roasting has an advantage over soaking with respect to the disclosure of the taste of cereals. In the process of frying in oil in the bulgur, nutty odors are revealed, which is ideal for meat dishes. Frying can be done both in a frying pan and in a pan prepared for cooking, but first you need to thoroughly calcinate the dishes with butter (about 1 tablespoon of butter; you can use both creamy and vegetable). The cereal is placed in hot oil and fried until a pleasant smell.

After preparing the cereals, you can go directly to cooking in a pan. The ideal proportion of cereals to water is 1: 1.8, but it is quite acceptable in a standard proportion of 1: 2. Bulgur must be poured with warm water, then put on fire. After boiling, the fire is reduced to a minimum. The pan should be tightly closed all the time during cooking, no need to stir the croup. The readiness time is usually from 10 to 20 minutes, it all depends on the amount of water poured. By the time all the water has evaporated, the bulgur will be completely ready.

Bulgur, successful combinations and recipes

You can use bulgur after cooking immediately, salting and seasoning to taste. It can be used as an additive to salads. This cereal goes well with herbs such as coriander, parsley and mint. Of spices, white and pink peppers, nutmeg and sesame seeds will suit it. Adding meat to bulgur, you can make an excellent hearty dish.

Bulgur with vegetables

The bulgur recipe with vegetables is an excellent vegetarian alternative to classic pilaf.

To prepare this dish you will need the following grocery set:

• onions - 1 large;
• eggplant - 1 pc.;
• tomato - 2 pcs.;
• carrots - 1 pc.;
• sweet pepper - 1 pc.;
• bulgur - 1 glass;
• spices, herbs, garlic - to taste.

The preparation of this dish is quite simple - fry vegetables in a deep pan (you can choose any available at hand), bring to a half-ready. After adding herbs, garlic and spices, add bulgur and sauté all together for a couple of minutes. Add 2 cups of water and simmer for 15 minutes. Check the readiness, continue to simmer if necessary until the bulgur and vegetables are ready.

On the shelves of shops next to rice and buckwheat, you can increasingly find cereals under the interesting name "bulgur". If someone does not know what bulgur is, let’s explain, it is wheat groats made in a special way. It is treated with hot water, dried and crushed. Croup is obtained in different sizes, but the average size is most popular. Such bulgur can be found in almost any large supermarket.

The benefits of bulgur

Bulgur is very useful, it has a lot of fiber, protein. Using this cereal, you can cook a hearty and tasty dinner. Bulgur is very loved and respected in Turkey and other eastern countries. It goes well with chicken, seafood, vegetables. Bulgur can be put in pilaf instead of rice, soups are also interesting with it.

One of the advantages is that it never boils, it turns out friable with a pleasant golden hue.

How to cook bulgur in Turkish

Turkish bulgur with vegetables is very easy to cook. It uses the most common products that are always at hand. And the result is a delicious dish, many may even think that it is with meat, so this porridge is hearty!

Step-by-step photo cooking recipe

The cooking time of bulgur with vegetables in Turkish is 15-20 minutes.

Bulgur (burgul) - cereal with a long history. It has been consumed for more than four millennia. It is believed that it was brought to Europe from the Middle East by the merchants of the Maghreb. Krupa is traditionally used in dishes of Mediterranean, Oriental, Indian, Armenian, Azerbaijani and Chinese cuisines. By the way, the ancient Chinese considered Bulgur a sacred culture.

Bulgur is a cereal obtained from durum wheat. It is heat-treated with water and dried. Then the grains are peeled (ground) to remove the coarse-fiber outer shell (bran) and to obtain an amber color. After that, the crushing process begins. Then the cereals are sorted by degree of grinding:

• fine fraction (kofelik). Used as an additive in baking various breads, pies, muffins and cookies. Such a “highlight” gives the bakery products a delicate nutty flavor and mouth-watering crunch;
• the middle fraction is ideal for preparing side dishes, cereals, thick soups, as well as snacks and desserts;
• coarse fraction (pylavlik)  - used for cooking pilaf. The taste is not inferior to traditional rice. Successfully replaces pearl barley and couscous in recipes, while not boiling to a mushy state.

The calorie content of cereals is high - 342 kcal per 100 g.

Benefit

Unfortunately, little is known about bulgur in Russia. Just a few years ago, dishes from this cereal were included in the restaurant menu. The beneficial properties of porridge, many simply underestimate. Rich in iron, potassium, vitamins, folic acid and fiber, it has a beneficial effect on the functioning of the cardiovascular system, helps burn fat and reduce blood sugar. Complex carbohydrates contained in cereals are absorbed slowly without damaging the body.

Harm

In some cases, bulgur can harm the body. Contraindications to the use of cereals are:

• gluten intolerance;
• flatulence and frequent diarrhea;
• inflammation of the mucous membrane of the stomach and esophagus;
• increased acidity;
• tendency to overeat.

If atypical symptoms appear after using the product, consult a specialist. Perhaps this is a signal of a hidden problem in the body. In this case, the dish will not bring benefits.

The subtleties of cooking

Bulgur is used for making soups, main dishes and desserts. It goes well with meat, fish, seafood and vegetables. In oriental cuisine, cereal is often replaced with traditional rice when cooking pilaf. In Cyprus, bulgur is used for a traditional wedding pilaf, and in Turkey, “brides soup” with the addition of lentils is prepared from it. Cooking bulgur has its own characteristics.

• The cereals are not washed and not soaked. There are no exceptions to this rule.
• Before cooking, the grain is fried in butter or olive oil. This gives it a pleasant aroma and a subtle nutty flavor.
• For cooking use dishes with a thick bottom. A great option for cauldrons or woks. On low heat, the croup in them will languish, but not boil.
• When cooking cereals increases three times. Before cooking, be sure to calculate the number of servings needed.
• The proportions of water and cereals are 1: 2. This ratio is ideal for viscous porridge.
• Incompatible components. Croup is not combined with paprika, tomato paste, tarragon and dried fruits. Do not use it with potatoes, cabbage and beets. And the recipes with the egg simply do not exist.
• In a slow cooker porridge from bulgur is cooked in the "Buckwheat" mode. In the process of preparation, the grain goes through several stages of processing, so that the finished dish becomes crumbly.

Gourmets are advised to cook bulgur in a slow cooker in several modes. First, the grain is fried in melted butter in the "Baking" mode. Pour water and cook using the "Extinguishing" mode. They are brought to readiness in the “Heating” mode.

Simple recipe

Boiled bulgur will be a nutritious breakfast and a great side dish for meat or fish. The most delicious dish will be on the first day. Do not store cooked porridge for several days. Better cook fresh.

You will need:

• bulgur coarse fraction - 1 cup;
• cold water - 2 glasses;
• butter - 2 tablespoons;
• salt to taste.

Cooking

1. Melt the butter in a cauldron.
2. Pour the cereal, mix, fry for 3 minutes.
3. Pour in water, salt.
4. Increase the heat, wait for it to boil.
5. Cover, reduce heat, cook for 15-20 minutes.
6. Let it brew for 5 minutes.

The finished dish has a pleasant nutty flavor. Serve it with butter.

Original recipes

We offer to prepare a delicious sweet porridge in milk and a dish with mushrooms. The first is for breakfast, and the second is a good choice for dinner.

With pumpkin and apples

A hearty and incredibly mouth-watering dish is good to start the day. It will energize and give a feeling of satiety for several hours.

You will need:

• bulgur - 1/2 cup;
• milk - 1 cup;
• pumpkin - 100 grams;
• apple - 1 piece;
• ground cinnamon - 1 gram;
• sugar - 3 teaspoons;
• water - 1 cup;
• butter - 3 tablespoons;
• dried apricots - 50 grams;
• mint - 2-3 leaves;
• salt to taste.

Cooking

1. Sauté bulgur in oil.
2. Pour in water, milk.
3. Peel and dice the pumpkin.
4. Chop the dried apricots finely.
5. Add pumpkin, dried apricots, sugar, mix, bring to a boil.
6. Reduce heat, cook for 20 minutes.
7. Salt, remove from heat.
8. Peel apples, cut into cubes.
9. Sauté apples in butter with added sugar for 1 minute.
10. Put the porridge on a plate, add apples, pour the remaining syrup from the frying.
11. Garnish with cinnamon and mint leaves.

Bulgur on milk turns out friable, grains do not stick together. Pieces of pumpkin, dried apricots and caramelized apples increase the usefulness of the dish, saturating it with vitamins and minerals. Spicy notes of cinnamon and mint complete the taste.

With mushrooms

Groats go well with mushrooms. Even traditional champignons, which many consider tasteless, will not leave you indifferent. Try a simple recipe for porridge bulgur with mushrooms.

You will need:

• bulgur - 1 glass;
• champignons - 500 grams;
• onion - 2 pieces;
• olive oil - 4 tablespoons;
• water - 2 glasses;
• parsley - 6-7 branches;
• salt to taste.

Cooking

1. Sauté the diced onions in butter.
2. Add the sliced \u200b\u200bmushrooms, sauté until juiced.
3. Pour bulgur, fry for 5 minutes.
4. Pour water, salt, simmer for 15 minutes.
5. Add chopped greens.

Bulgur with mushrooms can be served with meat or used as an independent dish. If you are on a diet or fasting, porridge diversifies your diet.

We got acquainted with the main subtleties of cooking porridge from bulgur.
  Now you can choose the most suitable option, which will give you a charge of vivacity and good mood!

Bulgur is crushed wheat, which is not so easy to boil to the state of porridge, for which they are appreciated. This cereal, traditionally popular in the Middle East and North Africa, today has taken a strong place on our kitchen shelves next to the more familiar cereals.

To obtain bulgur, whole wheat grains are soaked, steamed and dried. After such preparation, the shell is removed and the grain is crushed. The result is cereal, which is sieved and divided according to particle size into small, medium and large bulgur. Bulgur, like rice, among other things, you can stuff vegetables - for example, bell peppers - or meat, combining with the same vegetables or seafood.

Spicy vegetables with lemon bulgur

Ingredients:
140 g bulgur
2 small eggplants
1 sweet red pepper
2 tbsp. l olive oil
2 tbsp. l liquid honey
1 tsp adjika
juice and zest of half a lemon
5 sprigs of mint
thick yogurt to serve

Cut the pepper in half and remove the seeds and the stalk. Cut into large pieces. Cut the eggplants in half lengthwise, and then another 2-3 parts.

Combine honey, adjika and olive oil in a small bowl. Pour half the mixture into the vegetables and mix. Preheat the grill pan over medium heat and fry the peppers and eggplant on both sides to brown tan, 10 min.

Boil water in a saucepan and put bulgur. Salt and simmer over medium heat until tender, 10 min. Throw in a colander, then transfer to a large bowl. Pour the bulgur with the remaining spicy mixture, add lemon juice. Grate the zest of lemon on a fine grater, chop the mint leaves coarsely and also add to the bulgur, mix gently. Put bulgur on a dish, lay the fried vegetables on top. Serve with yogurt.

Bulgur porridge with pumpkin

2 Serving Ingredients
Pumpkin 100 g
Bulgur 150 g
Sugar 20 g
Milk 200 g
Apples 70 g
Ground cinnamon 1 g
Butter 40 g
Dried apricots 30 g
Fresh mint - 2 g
Water - 100 ml

Cooking method:

1. Peel and cut the pumpkin into 1x1 cm cubes, dried apricots - finely.
2. Rinse bulgur with water and fill it with milk and 250 ml of water.
3. Add pumpkin, dried apricots and 0.5 sugar, bring to a boil and cook over low heat, stirring for 20 minutes (add water as it boils); 5 minutes before cooking, mix 0.5 butter in the porridge; salt, remove from heat.
4. Peel the apples from the peel and the core, cut into a 2x2 cm cube.
5. Melt the remaining butter, transfer the apples to a pan, pour the remaining sugar and fry over medium heat for 1 minute until the sugar dissolves.

Bulgur pilaf with turkey

Would need:
turkey fillet 450 g
bulgur 170 g
bulgarian red pepper 2 pcs.
green chili pepper 2 pods
onion 1 head
garlic 1 clove
soy sauce 4 tbsp. l
water 200 ml
olive oil 2 tbsp. l
turmeric 2 tsp
freshly ground pepper mixture ½ tsp.

Cooking method:

Cut the turkey into small pieces, fry in a wok in hot oil, transfer to a plate.

Put peppers (Bulgarian - chopped into small strips, chilli - thin rings), finely chopped onion and garlic in the same stew-pan, fry, stirring, until the onion becomes golden.

Pour bulgur, mix well, pour in soy sauce, after 2-3 minutes - water and add spices. Reduce heat and simmer under the lid for another 15-20 minutes.

Salad "Joker"

Would need:
bulgur - 3 cups
water and salt - for cooking cereals
parmesan - 75-100 g
garlic to taste
mushrooms (shiitake, oyster mushrooms, champignons) - 1.5 kg
olive oil - 130-150 ml
almonds - 300 g
parsley - 40 g
thyme - 20 g
lemon juice - 90 ml
black pepper

Cooking method:

Soak bulgur for 20 minutes so that the water covers the cereal with 2 fingers. Discard in a sieve so that water remains to a minimum. Return to the pan, gravy boat, saucepan, pour cold water in the same way 2 fingers higher. Lavishly salt (2 large pinches), bring to a boil, reduce to a minimum and cook for 20 minutes under the lid until al dente. Turn on the oven 180 degrees so that it is still heating.
We cut coarsely brushed mushrooms. Place them on a baking sheet. Generously pour olive oil, sprinkle with ground pepper, salt, put in the oven for 20 minutes, until brown. Leave to cool to room temperature.

Shrimp Bulgur

Ingredients:
Bulgur - 300 g
Shrimp - 400 g
Mexican Frozen Vegetable Mix - 1 Pack
Tomatoes in their own juice - 2 pcs.
Garlic half head
Parsley - 1 bunch
Salt to taste

Cooking method

We cook Bulgur for 20 minutes. We clean the shrimp. Then fry the prawns with garlic in olive oil. Add the vegetable mixture. Stew for 10 minutes. Add spices and tomatoes. Add bulgur, mix, simmer for 5 minutes.

Before serving, do not forget to add greens. Bon Appetit!

Bulgur East

Ingredients:
vegetable oil - 6 tbsp. l
ground ginger - 0.5 tsp.
turmeric - 0.5 tsp
cumin (zira) - 0.25 tsp.
cardamom - 2 boxes
salt - 1.5 tsp.
cayenne pepper - 0.25 tsp.
frozen or raw vegetables - 500 g
bulgur - 1.5 cups
water - 3 cups
onions - 2 pcs. secondary

Cooking method:

1. Peel and chop the onion. In a thick-bottomed pan, heat the oil over medium heat, add the crushed cardamom pods and cumin, then when the cumin changes color, add ginger and onions. Fry, stirring constantly, for 2-3 minutes. 2. Put wheat groats in a pan, mix thoroughly so that each grain is covered with oil, pour water, salt and add turmeric. Close the lid, reduce heat to a minimum and cook with the lid closed for 20 minutes. 3. If you take raw vegetables, sauté them in a pan. If frozen - cook in the microwave. You can use any vegetables, for example, a mixture of peas, corn, bell pepper and beans. 4. After 20 minutes, put the vegetables in the pan, do not stir. Close the lid and cook for another 5-10 minutes until the porridge absorbs all the water. 5. When the water is completely absorbed, open the lid and cook for another 1 minute. Then gently mix the porridge with a fork. Bon Appetit!