Ingredients:

• 2 cups coarsely ground bulgur
• 2 onions, diced
• 1 small carrot, grated
• 4 cloves of garlic, sliced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 heaped tablespoon + 1 teaspoon butter
• 2 tablespoons hot red pepper paste
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste (alternatively, 200 ml tomato puree)
• 400 g boiled chickpeas
• 1 tablespoon dried mint
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme (or oregano)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions:

1. Brown the 1 tablespoon butter and olive oil in a pot.
2. Add in the onions and sauté for a couple of minutes.
3. After the onions are softened, stir in the garlic and continue to sauté.
4. Add the tomato and pepper paste. Use the tip of your spatula to mix the paste with the onion and garlic evenly.
5. Add the bulgur, carrot and chickpeas. Continue to stir after adding every ingredient.
6. Time to spice up the pilav! Season with dried mint, thyme, salt and black pepper and add 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes, if using sweet red pepper paste.
7. Pour in boiling water up to 2 cm higher than the level of the bulgur. It will take around 4 cups of boiling water depending on the size of your pan.
8. Add 1 teaspoon butter and simmer for 10-15 minutes-depending on the size of the bulgur- on low heat. Unlike rice pilav, leaving a little water at the bottom of the pan will make your pilav better.
9. Turn off the heat and cover with a kitchen cloth and let it rest for 10 minutes.
10. Fluff up and serve with yogurt and pickles to level up the joy and eat the bulgur pilav like we do!