Zucchini and cracked wheat pilaf
March 16, 2014 • Category: Whole Grain/Bulgur/Rice, Main Dish
Here is a very simple and rustic dish from Syria’s Kurdish community; it is just zucchini and onions, fried a bit in olive oil and cooked with some cracked wheat (jreesh). The cracked wheat can be replaced by any whole-grain in your pantry, with bulgur being the best substitute (pick a coarse bulgur if possible). The traditional drink with this meal is a yogurt drink (ayran or daw). These yogurt drinks are sold in all Middle-Eastern stores in the US or can be made at home very easily by diluting water in some yogurt until the consistency is liquid.
INGREDIENTS: 4 servings
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 pound zucchini (or Mexican calabasas in the US), diced
- 1 cup cracked wheat (or bulgur #3 or 4)
- Optional: 2 cloves garlic, mashed with a teaspoon of salt
1. Heat the oil in a saucepan, and fry the onion till translucent and golden; add the zucchini and stir-fry a few minutes; add the cracked wheat and about 1 1/2 cup of water; add salt to taste. Bring to a simmer and cover. Check the pilaf after about 20 minutes, taste and adjust seasoning. If adding garlic, do so after frying the onions. Serve with yogurt or yogurt drink (ayran).
Comments
7 Comments • Comments Feed
Marita (mydinner.co. says:
Hm… this looks delicious. Looks healthy as well
On March 17, 2014 at 6:19 am
Coco in the Kitchen says:
I love bulghur.
This looks lovely. I’m going to make it tonight as a side dish for something,,,,,maybe some fish?
On March 17, 2014 at 10:43 am
Joumana says:
@Coco in the Kitchen: whatever you decide will be smashing!
On March 17, 2014 at 10:47 am
Nuts about food says:
Never had or even heard of cracked wheat: will look out for it
On March 18, 2014 at 3:40 am
Fawn @ Cowen Park Ki says:
Can’t wait for zucchini to come back in season in my part of the world! It’s likely my favorite all-around vegetable. Love the combination here.
On March 18, 2014 at 4:13 pm
Katerina says:
I love cracked wheat and use it as much as possible. This dish must be vary tasty!
On March 19, 2014 at 5:39 am
Susan says:
This would be delicious when we have farm fresh zucchinis this summer. This would make a great side dish for a summer BBQ.
On March 19, 2014 at 8:02 am