Batirik, Mersin Bulgur and Walnut Meze
Batirik comes from Mersin on Turkey's southern coast, a cousin of kisir built heavier on walnuts and pepper. Fine bulgur is soaked, not cooked, then kneaded with tomato paste and pomegranate molasses until it clumps into a soft, tart, brick-red paste you scoop up in lettuce leaves. It leans on the sour-sweet of pomegranate molasses and a hit of lemon rather than salt, and the chopped walnuts give it enough richness to feel like a meal. Everything is raw except the kettle of water that swells the grain, so it comes together fast and travels well, which makes it a good thing to carry to a table. Serve it with plenty of crisp romaine for scooping.
Ingredients
- 1 cup Bulgur, fine grind
- 1/2 cup Walnuts, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp Tomato paste
- 2 tbsp Pomegranate molasses
- 1 whole Cucumber, finely diced
- 4 wholes Scallions, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup Flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- 3 tbsp Mint, chopped
- 1 tsp Aleppo pepper
- 1/2 tsp Cumin seed, ground
- 3 tbsp Lemon juice
- 1 whole Romaine, leaves separated, to serve
Method
- Put the fine bulgur in a bowl and pour over 0.75 cup (180 ml) just-boiled water. Cover and let it stand until the grains have swelled and softened, about 15 minutes. Fine bulgur is already parboiled, so it only needs to steep, never boil, which is what keeps this a no-cook dish.
- Add the tomato paste and pomegranate molasses to the warm bulgur and work them in with your hands or a spoon until every grain is stained red. Kneading the paste in while the bulgur is warm is the step that turns loose grains into a cohesive, spoonable meze.
- Mix in the walnuts, cucumber, scallions, parsley, mint, Aleppo pepper, and ground cumin. The walnuts are half the point of a Mersin batirik, bringing richness and body, so chop them fine enough to spread through every bite.
- Stir in the lemon juice, then taste. It should be sharp and a little sweet-sour from the pomegranate molasses, which is doing the seasoning here instead of salt. Add more lemon or a little more molasses to balance it.
- Rest 10 minutes for the flavors to come together, then mound it on a plate with the romaine leaves alongside. It is eaten by scooping the bulgur into a leaf and folding it, a hand-held meze rather than a dip for chips.
Nutrition
Estimated per serving: 170 calories, 5 g protein, 5 g fiber, 30 mg sodium. Computed from USDA FoodData Central reference values for the main ingredients. This is an approximation, not a laboratory measurement. How these are computed.
Cost per serving is estimated from US national-average retail prices for cheap staple forms, using BLS dried-bean prices and USDA produce prices. Prices vary by store and season, so treat it as a guide, not a receipt. How this is computed.
