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Garden Bulgur

A vegetable pilaf made with bulgur, celery, onion, mushrooms, and broth.

From the Wikibooks Cookbook · 10 ingredients
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Why it works: Mushroom and chicken are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 4% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 4,172 recipes. Both carry 1-butyl acetate, which smells fruity, banana. The science ↓

Garden Bulgur

Time15 minutes

Ingredients

Directions

Cook the vegetables

  1. Melt margarine in a large skillet; add celery, onion, and mushrooms. Stir until vegetables are tender.

Toast and simmer

  1. Add bulgur and cook until golden.

  2. Add seasonings and broth. Cover and bring to a boil.

  3. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

343Calories
35 gProtein
16 gFat
16 gCarbs

Counts 8 of 10 ingredients. The other 2 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 8 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Chicken100g cooked165
Butter1 tbsp (14g)102
Onion1 medium (110g)44
Mushrooms1/2 cup sliced (35g)15
Celery1 stalk (40g)6
Black Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Oregano1 tsp dried (1.8g)5
Salt1 tsp (6g)0
Bulgurnot in our table0
Wheatnot in our table0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Wikibooks Cookbook.

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Mushroom + chickentop 4% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together4,172 recipes

    Shared aroma: 1-butyl acetate (fruity, banana).

  2. Celery + oreganotop 4% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together559 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).

  3. Celery + peppertop 5% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together16,012 recipes

    Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).

  4. Oregano + peppertop 5% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together3,449 recipes

    Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).

  5. Celery + oniontop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together18,518 recipes

    Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Bulgur or cracked wheat
Forms the body of the pilaf, absorbing broth as it simmers to a tender grain.
Chicken or vegetable broth
Supplies the liquid that the bulgur absorbs and cooks in, carrying the seasoning through the grain.
Onion
Adds savory sweetness as it softens in the fat, building the base flavour.
Mushrooms
Release moisture and savoury flavour as they cook down with the vegetables.
Celery
Contributes a mild, fresh vegetable flavour and some texture as it softens.

The step that matters

Cook the bulgur until golden. Toasting the dry grain in fat before adding liquid gives it a nutty aroma and helps the grains stay separate. Skipping or rushing this leaves a flatter flavour and a less distinct texture.

Swap the onion

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (celery, mushroom, bulgur, oregano, pepper, chicken):

  1. Tomatofits better
  2. Capsicumfits better
  3. Carrotfits better
  4. Onionthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against celery, mushroom, bulgur, oregano, pepper, chicken. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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