Oil-less bulgur pilaf with peppers
Another fasting suggestion from Mount Athos that will win you over with its simplicity. An easy monastic recipe with bulgur as the main ingredient, which is easily cooked like a pilaf and in a minimum of time. Bulgur meals are very nutritious for children as well as adults. Plain and oil-free dishes like this may not seem so appetizing by the standards of worldly life, but they enjoy a different appreciation in the monks everyday life dominated by hunger and abstinence.
We put some water in a dish, preferably non-stick and saute the onions, peppers and tomatoes. Then, we add the bulgur and mix well.
We pour boiling water into the pot, with such a ratio that one cup of bulgur corresponds to 3 cups of water.
Then we add salt, chili flakes, we lower the heat and let the food absorb its liquids.
Just before taking it off the heat, we dissolve the tahini in a little juice from the food and pour it little by little into the bulgur.
We remove the food from the heat, wait a while for the liquids to be completely absorbed and serve.
The process of sauteing in water takes a lot of time compared to if sauteed in oil.
On the days when we have a catalysis of wine and oil, we can fry the vegetables and bulgur in olive oil and skip the tahini at the end.
