Turkish Bulgur Pilaf (Firik Pilau)

I made this Pilau or Pilaf to go with the Turkish Fasulye/ Barbunya Pilaki that I made last week. The recipe is from ‘The Middle Eastern Vegetarian‘ cookbook by Sally Butcher. The original recipe uses Freekeh is young green wheat and has been used for centuries in the Middle east. It is a versatile and nutritious grain and can be used in soups, salads, cakes and bread, as a cereal and can be used in place of rice.

After all that information on freekeh which I thought I had in my pantry, I was bummed to see I used it all. So I went to plan B and used bulgur instead. Roasted buckwheat can also be used instead of freekeh. The pilaf turned out delicious even with the substitution.

This pilaf is spicy, sweet and nutty. The addition of plump currants (or black raisins in my case) adds a nice sweetness to the dish. I was wondering how the whole combination of sweet, spicy (from cinnamon and allspice) and herbs (dill & parsley) work together, but I shouldn’t have been worried. the dish tasted amazing and even my husband enjoyed it. 

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Turkish Bulgur Pilaf (Firik Pilau)