How to Use Leftover Bulgur Pilaf

Bulgur is made by parboiling and drying wheat, then cracking it; in other words, it has already been cooked once before it becomes pilaf. As the grains absorb water a second time in the pilaf, they become soft and porous. Cooled bulgur firms up, but its surface does not form the slippery coating that rice does; when squeezed in your hand, the grains break down and their starchy surfaces stick together. A cold grain of rice, in contrast, hardens, stays round, and slips when kneaded. The same cooling sends the two pilafs in opposite directions; this difference is where using leftover bulgur begins.

Meatballs are the best use for it. Knead cold bulgur pilaf with a little tomato paste, red pepper flakes, finely chopped green onion, and parsley; within a few minutes, the pilaf starts to become pasty and holds its shape in your hand. If the mixture falls apart, add a little fine bulgur or flour and let it sit briefly; if it sticks to your hands, shape it with wet hands. These meatballs can be wrapped in a lettuce leaf and eaten as they are with lemon, or dipped in egg and pan-fried if you like. Since the pilaf is already salted, check the salt after kneading.

The second option is salad. Kısır, the traditional fine-bulgur salad, is made with fine bulgur that is soaked; coarse bulgur for pilaf is already cooked, so it can be used directly as the base for a salad. Crumble the cold pilaf into a bowl, add tomato paste, lemon, olive oil, pomegranate molasses, and plenty of greens, then mix. The larger grains give the salad a chew that is different from kısır, the classic fine-bulgur salad; dice the tomato and cucumber small to balance it. If the salad sits for a while, the bulgur absorbs the sauce and the flavors meld. Tomato paste increases the saltiness of the pilaf, so add salt last.

Stuffed vegetables are another good use for leftover bulgur pilaf. Mix the pilaf with ground meat or chopped vegetables and stuff bell peppers or zucchini; because the pilaf is already cooked, add only a little water to the pot, and the stuffed vegetables are done when the vegetables soften. A small amount of leftover pilaf can also go into soup: add it to lentil or yogurt soup in the final minutes. Bulgur continues to absorb water in the soup, so leave the soup a little thinner and serve it as soon as it is cooked.

Stir-frying in a pan is not a good use for leftover bulgur. Unlike rice, bulgur grains dry out, become hard, and break while frying in oil; they end up like toasted crumbs on the bottom of the pan. If you are simply reheating bulgur pilaf as it is, warm it with steam in a covered pot after sprinkling a little water or broth over it, then fluff it with a fork before serving. In short, leftover rice goes into dishes that benefit from drying out, while leftover bulgur goes into dishes that benefit from binding together; using the 2 pilafs in one recipe takes away the best qualities of the 2.