Lentil and bulgur salad

Bulgur, also known as burghul, is a cracked wheat common in Middle Eastern cuisine. For this salad, we mix the bulgur with lentils and various herbs to create a textured and fragrant dish.

You don't need to reach for the beef to get your daily iron needs. Credit: Chris Chen

• serves

  6

• prep

  15 minutes

• cook

  20 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 200 g (1 cup) brown lentils, rinsed, drained
• 160 g (1 cup) bulgur (cracked wheat)
• 60 ml (¼ cup) olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 60 ml (¼ cup) lemon juice
• ¼ cup chopped mint
• ¼ cup chopped dill
• 2 spring onions, finely chopped
• ½ small green capsicum, finely chopped
• ½ small red capsicum, finely chopped
• 1 celery stalk, finely chopped
• 25 g (¼ cup) walnuts, toasted, chopped
• 40 g (¼ cup) pitted Kalamata olives, chopped
• 100 g feta, crumbled
• 1 tomato, chopped

Instructions

Place lentils in a saucepan with 500 ml water over medium heat. Partially cover and bring to a simmer. Cook for 20 minutes or until tender. Drain and place in a large bowl.

Meanwhile, place bulgur in a bowl, cover with 500 ml boiling water and set aside for 20 minutes. Drain and add to lentils.

Heat oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute or until fragrant. Add garlic and remaining ingredients to lentil mixture. Season with salt and pepper, mix to combine and serve.

Photography Chris Chen. Styling Vivien Walsh. Food preparation Phoebe Wood.

As seen in Feast magazine, September 2014, Issue 35.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.