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Eetch
Eetch: Armenian bulgur simmered in tomato and pepper, served cool
Eetch is a Western Armenian dish from the old Cilician towns, carried by families to Aleppo, Beirut and the Armenian quarters of American cities. Fine bulgur is stirred into a hot sauce of onion, red pepper, tomato and pepper paste and left to drink it up, then finished with lemon, parsley and spring onion and eaten at room temperature, often scooped up with lettuce leaves. Unlike a herb-heavy raw bulgur salad, eetch is cooked, so it is rich and tomatoey, and it is a fixture of Lenten tables, picnics and mezze spreads. It keeps for days, which makes it a favourite for lunchboxes. Chef's tip: take the pan off the heat before adding the bulgur and keep the lid on; the grains soften in the residual heat and stay separate instead of turning to porridge.
- Total time
- 30 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Heat ¼ cup olive oil in a wide pan over a medium heat. Add 1 onion and 1 red pepper and cook for 7–8 minutes, until soft and the onion is translucent and just starting to colour.
8 minStep 2: Stir in 1 tbsp red pepper paste (biber salçası) and 2 tbsp tomato paste and fry for 1–2 minutes, until they darken to brick red and smell toasty.
2 minStep 3: Add 14 oz tinned chopped tomatoes, ¾ cup water, 1 ½ tsp salt and 1 tsp Aleppo pepper or chilli flakes. Bring to a lively simmer and cook for 4 minutes, until slightly reduced.
4 minStep 4: Take the pan off the heat, stir in 9 oz fine bulgur so every grain is coated, then cover tightly and leave for 20 minutes. The bulgur should absorb all the liquid and be tender with a slight bite.
20 minStep 5: A common mistake is adding extra water because the mixture looks dry after a few minutes; give it the full 20 minutes covered before you judge. If the grains are still hard after that, sprinkle over 2–3 tablespoons of hot water and cover for 5 minutes more.
Step 6: Fluff with a fork, then stir in 3 tbsp lemon juice, 1 ⅜ oz flat-leaf parsley and most of 4 spring onions. Taste and add more salt or lemon; it should be tangy and well seasoned.
Step 7: Leave to cool to room temperature. Pile on a plate, scatter with the remaining spring onions and serve with 12 little gem lettuce leaves for scooping.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 290 kcal
- Protein
- 6 g
- Carbs
- 38 g
- Fat
- 13 g
- Fibre
- 8 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does eetch take?
- About 30 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 15 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of red pepper?
- Any colour of bell pepper, same amount.
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