John Myers
Prepare bulgur – how does it work?
The best way to prepare bulgur is to soak it in boiling salted water or in a broth. Here in Germany, durum wheat is mainly offered pre-cooked. This means that there is no need to cook bulgur or pay attention to a specific cooking time. The swelling time varies Very fine-grained bulgur swells in about seven minutes, while the coarse-grained variant takes between 20 and 25 minutes. During this time it reaches about twice to three times its volume. It is, therefore, best to always use a sufficiently large container. Then refine the grain with a little butter or olive oil or use our step-by-step recipe to prepare a delicious bulgur salad with feta, for example.
Prepare Couscous – How does it work?
Prepare couscous as follows: Bring salted water to a boil (or alternatively use broth), remove the saucepan from the heat, add the couscous and let it swell, covered, for about five minutes. The amount of liquid and the exact swelling time can be found on the packaging. Then stir in a knob of butter and olive oil and fluff everything up with a fork. The couscous can be served warm with steamed vegetables, chickpeas, and meat (chicken, beef, or lamb) or fish. Once cooled, you can use it to prepare a couscous salad, which goes well with tomatoes, zucchini, almonds, and fresh herbs.
Preparing couscous and bulgur as a side dish: tips and tricks
Since couscous and bulgur can be prepared without cooking, the grains are ideal as a quick side dish for vegetables or meats such as chicken or lamb. Tip: Bulgur and couscous are fairly tasteless, so feel free to season the grains to your liking.
Traditionally, couscous is placed in a cone shape in the center of the plate and the side dishes are arranged around it.
Medium-grain, bulgur works well as a filling, for example in colorful peppers. As a salad, bulgur is best known as tabbouleh. It is best to use fine-grain bulgur for this. Speaking of oriental: The granular grain tastes hearty and refined as a kibbeh – the meatballs, which come from the Lebanese kitchen, are irresistibly good. Our recipe will show you how to make this lamb and bulgur dish in less than an hour!
PS: You can also prepare bulgur as a main course. For example, try our vegetable bulgur pan: spicy, delicious – and on the table in 45 minutes.
What is the difference between bulgur and couscous?
Couscous is grated semolina of wheat, millet or barley: it is moistened, rolled into small balls, boiled and finally dried. Bulgur, on the other hand, is made from durum wheat. The grains are steamed, dried in the next step and then cut into small pieces. The two foods have in common the slightly nutty taste and the simple preparation. Like bulgur, couscous in Germany is usually sold pre-cooked. At home you only have to let the semolina swell. Also read how to cook rice using the swelling method.
