Eech (Armenian Bulgur Salad)
Eech, also known at eetch, itch, and metch, is a traditional Armenian dish that is vegan and can be served as a salad or spread. It is super healthy and insanely delicious!
Ingredients
- 1 cup Fine Bulgur Wheat see notes
- 1 cup Boiling Water
- 1 Yellow Onion chopped
- 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 ½ cups Crushed Tomato canned
- ½ cup Tomato Sauce canned
- ½ teaspoon Black Pepper
- ½ small Red Onion finely chopped (about ¼ cup)
- ½ Bell Pepper finely chopped (about ¼ cup)
- Fresh Dill finely chopped (about ¼ cup)
- Fresh Parsley finely chopped (about ¾ cup)
- ¼ cup + 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- 2 Lemons juiced
Instructions
- Combine the bulgur wheat and boiling water in a large mixing bowl, and set aside.
- Saute the yellow onion with 1 Tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet for 3-4 minutes or until soft and translucent.
- Add the crushed tomato, tomato sauce, and black pepper to the skillet. Stir to combine, and then simmer over medium-low heat for 20-25 minutes. Remove from heat, and set aside to cool.
- Finely chop the red onion, bell pepper, fresh dill, and fresh parsley. Juice the lemons.
- Drain any remaining water from the bulgur wheat.
- Add the bulgur wheat, tomato/onion mixture, chopped vegetables and herbs, olive oil, and lemon juice to the mixing bowl, and stir to combine.
Notes
- Bulgar wheat can usually be found at your local grocery store in the baking or rice aisles. It can also be found at health food stores or purchased online. Look for bulgur wheat, cracked wheat, or red bulgur - any may be used. Some brands even offer different sized grains (fine #1, medium #2, course #3, and very course #4). Fine #1 works best for this recipe!
- A red or green bell pepper may be used.
- Fresh mint leaves may be substituted for the dill.
- Eech may be served warm or cold. I prefer to chill it in an airtight container overnight in the refrigerator to really let those flavors infuse! Be sure to stir before serving.
- Serve as a side dish or spread. Eech is traditionally served with Syrian bread and/or wedges of romaine lettuce but is also quite good with whole-grain crackers.
Nutrition
Serving: 10Calories: 144kcalCarbohydrates: 18gProtein: 3gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gSodium: 120mgPotassium: 314mgFiber: 5gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 920IUVitamin C: 33mgCalcium: 40mgIron: 2mg