Thursday, January 20, 2011

Healthy, Easy TuBeshvat Breakfast

Last night I made a traditional Sephardic barley wheat bulgar dish for our little celebration. This morning I served it for breakfast and it occurred to me that I should really make this more often because it serves as a great breakfast food. Unlike oatmeal, it doesn't lose its appeal if prepared in advance. Unlike breakfast cereals, half of it doesn't end up on the kitchen floor. Nor did any child feel the need to take a ridiculous quantity. I love affordable.

Those who are interested, boil 4 cups of water and add 1 cup of bulgar (I like medium grain). Stir until most of the water is absorbed. Next, add sugar. The recipe calls for between 1/4 and 1/2 cup. I'd go with the 1/4. Add a good amount of cinnamon and finish cooking.

Can be served warm, room temperature, or cold with nuts and fruit. If you want to use dried fruit, add the dried fruit with some extra water at the beginning of the cooking process.

This is just like making oatmeal, but doesn't change texture as it cools and sits.

Bulgar can be found in the international section of the grocery or in ethnic stores. It can also be cooked up like rice and there are lots of sweet and savory dishes appropriate for chagim and Shabbat.

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

sounds delicious--but bulgar is a kind of wheat, not barley!

Orthonomics said...

You are correct.

Ariella's blog said...

It's the same thing that makes up the kasha in kasha varnikers, if I'm not mistaken. When packaged for kasha, like the Wolff's brand is, it is actually far more expensive than oats. I should look for it in other sections of the store.

tesyaa said...

Ariella, kasha is buckwheat, which is a grain that is not actually wheat.

tdr said...

Bulgar is what you use for tabouli.

This sounds delicious especially with the fruit and nuts.

Orthonomics said...

Kasha is hard to find inexpensively, although Wolff's Kasha does do on sale occassionally. I once found Kasha from an unknown brand in a small grocery store for a $1.25 a bag. I stocked up and have yet to see it again. There are other sources beyond Wolffs. But Wolffs seems to own that market.

Shoshana Z. said...

Ha-ha! :) This post made me think I had clicked Oceans of Joy by mistake!

Mara ~ Kosher on a Budget said...

What a great tip - I never would have thought to make it like oatmeal. I just use barley in my cholent! Plus, I love that you can make this up in advance - definitely avoids our morning meltdowns.

Anonymous said...

Off topic, but just saw this on VIN: http://www.vosizneias.com/74090/2011/01/22/rockland-county-ny-yeshivah-files-for-chapter-11-bankruptcy-protection

Anonymous said...

Totally off topic, but have the Coverdell exemptions been extended? I haven't heard much about this, but I just read that they were in December.

Ariella's blog said...

Thanks, Tesyaa, I have to expand my knowledge of grains. If buckwheat is distinct from wheat, is it still mezonos? There are only 5 types of grain that are in that category -- wheat, barley, spelt, oat, and rye. Rice is a sort of neither here nor there, which is why it get mezonos for a bracha but does not get al hamichya for the bracha acharona.