Turkish chef Civan Er, the culinary wizard behind Istanbul’s ever-popular Yeni Lokanta opened sister restaurant, yeni, on London’s Beak Street in 2019.
Transporting diners to his home city of Istanbul via moreish dishes, here, Er shares a simple, hearty recipe: bulghur fritter Salad with zatar and pomegranates.
INGREDIENTS FOR THE FRITTERS
250g of fine bulgur
400 ml of boiling water
1 tablespoon of pepper paste
2 cloves of grated garlic
1 pinch of cumin
Salt
Vegetable oil for frying
INGREDIENTS FOR THE SALAD
1 bunch of chopped parsley
1 bunch of chopped fresh mint
1 diced cucumber
2 tablespoons of picked pomegranates
2 tablespoons of diced red turnip
1 clove of grated garlic
2 thinly sliced spring onions
2 tablespoons of lemon juice
4 tablespoons of olive oil
1 tablespoon of pepper paste
2 tablespoons of pickled zaatar
Pomegranate molasses to drizzle
1 generous pinch of cumin
Salt
Pepper
METHOD
Pour the boiling water over the bulghur in a non-plastic bowl. Cover and let it soak for one hour. When the bulghur is ready to chew add the pepper paste, garlic, cumin and work it out in the food processor until still crumbly. Bring it into 40-50 grape sized balls with your palms oiling your hands from time to time to prevent sticking. Heat up the oil and fry the bulghur balls until golden and crispy.
When Serving: Mix the bulghur balls with the rest of the ingredients, check the seasoning, drizzle over pomegranate molasses and serve.
You can always stock ready to be fried bulghur balls in your freezer.
Any Questions or Tips to add?