These are two very different dishes – jambalaya and kisir. One is a Cajun specialty that usually involves chorizo sausage, shrimp, chicken, green peppers, spices, and rice while the other involves bulgur, no meat, pomegranate molasses, pomegranate seeds, and mint. Skip the meat in the first, add some fish stock to the second, add some sour cherry jam in place of the pomegranate molasses (pretty good substitution, actually) and what you’ve got is either a very bland jambalaya or a very mediocre kisir. Not a mediocre kisser, fortunately, as for once it’s a Middle Eastern recipe that doesn’t involve raw onions or completely raw garlic. Though I suppose that doesn’t really affect quality so much as overall enjoyment…of the dish, I mean.
So I’ll give you the actual recipe, but I’ll recommend you use vegetable, chicken, or fish stock instead of water to cook the bulgur (a wheat-based whole grain) for extra flavour. You can also use barley in the recipe instead of the bulgur. Or even rice or kamut or whole spelt or buckwheat. Just know that you’ll need more or less liquid and a longer or shorter cooking time depending on the grain.
It’s from Yotam Ottolenghi’s “Plenty” and it’s a solid recipe. Not amazing, but generally satisfying. Maybe with more pomegranate molasses (available at Middle Eastern specialty stores, and worth investing in since it lasts forever, and can be added to a range of dishes – try it in place of balsamic vinegar sometime, or in addition) it would have been better. And when I added an extra few tablespoons of lemon juice it improved too. But that depends on your lemons and your molasses. And lemon always goes well with fish, so if you don’t use fish stock, it might not pair quite as splendidly.
And, I hate to say it, it would be better with meat. Chorizo. Boy would it be good with sausage. I don’t even eat sausage but that’s what it needs. Salty heat. For the vegans out there, try Bragg’s liquid seasoning or tamari, but it’s just not the same. Blackened fish. Something with salty and spice. I think I was just craving jambalaya because my version was almost there but just wasn’t. So maybe it’s my fault. Sorry, Mr. Ottolenghi, for jumping to conclusions.
Kisir
2 large onions, diced
6 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp tomato paste
4 medium tomatoes, peeled and chopped small, but not so that they get mushy and lose all their juice and firmness
1/2 cup broth (fish, chicken, vegetable, or just water)
1 cup medium bulgur wheat (I didn’t know there were grades of bulgur, but there you go. Barley is also fine)
1 1/2 tsp pomegranate molasses (Don’t be afraid to taste and use more)
1 tbsp lemon juice (again, taste and err on the side of more than you think is wise)
6 tbsp chopped parsley (dried just doesn’t do it)
3 green onions, white and green parts finely shredded, plus extra green for garnish
2 fresh green chilies, seeded and minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp ground cumin (I encourage toasting whole cumin seeds and then grinding them for a bigger flavour, but I can’t see you)
salt and pepper to taste. The grains need at least 1 tsp if you used water instead of broth. If you used broth, add about 1/2 tsp and then adjust to taste)
seeds from 1 pomegranate (there’s a big different between one regular pomegranate and one gargantuan pomegranate. I say the more seeds the better, but not necessarily the bigger the pomegranate the better. Genetically modified jumbo pomegranates are not necessarily what I want to eat. See this recipe for how to get the seeds out)
3 tbsp mint leaves, some whole and some roughly shredded (chop them all if you want. They’re just garnish. Whole are a bit cumbersome for chewing)
Directions:
Cook the onions in the olive oil in a bit pot on medium heat until translucent. Always cook longer than you think if you’re not sure if they’re ready yet because crunchy onions in most dishes are a quick way to a disappointing finish.
Add the tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes. Ottolenghi says you should do this with a wooden spoon, maybe because it’s rustic or something, but heat-proof plastic or whatever you have will be just fine. Simmer, Mr. Ottolenghi. It will be just fine…
Speaking of simmering, add the tomatoes and let the mixture simmer for 4 minutes on low heat. If things are burning or sticking add a little water or broth. Then add all the broth or water and bring to a boil. If you’re using bulgur remove the pot from the heat and stir it in. If using barley or other grain add it to the liquid now, let return to a boil, partially cover, and reduce the heat and simmer until tender (for barley that’s about 45 minutes, but stir often and add more liquid as needed until tender). Now’s a good time to toast the whole cumin seeds if you’re going the whole spice route (put cumin seeds in a small, dry frying pan on medium heat for a few minutes until aromatic)
Then remove the dish from the heat if not already removed and stir in the pomegranate molasses, parsley, green onions (minus the reserved bunch), chilies, garlic, cumin, and salt and pepper. Let cool to room temperature and then taste and adjust salt, pepper, lemon, and pomegranate molasses. If you really hate raw garlic you can add it at the beginning of the recipe with the onions instead of now.
To serve you’re supposed to take a big scoop and put it on a plate, then press down on the top and make a kind of wave pattern. then sprinkle over the pomegranate seeds, some extra-virgin olive oil, the remaining green onions, and the mint. I say screw the wave unless it’s a dinner party. Skip the olive oil in favour of chorizo, spicy chicken or fish, and the pomegranate seeds are optional if you go the meaty route. They are NOT optional if there’s no spicy meat involved.
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