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Cyprus gives pilafi to pourgouri, not rice: coarse bulgur cooked with tomato and browned fide, simple enough for Tuesday and serious enough to remember.
Pourgouri pilafi is Cyprus by surname: coarse bulgur cooked with browned fide, onion, and tomato until the grains sit separate and glossy. It is not rice pretending to be pilaf. It is the island's everyday grain pot, cheap, filling, and good with yogurt beside it.
The one method is the browning of the fide. Let the little broken noodles go properly golden in olive oil before the onion and tomato enter the pan. That toasted taste carries through the whole pot, so the bulgur becomes warm and nutty instead of merely boiled.
I keep this one plain because that is its dignity. A good tomato in season, or honest crushed tomato when the calendar says no, and pourgouri coarse enough not to turn mushy. Your grandmother cooked by eye because she'd made it a thousand times. Here are the numbers until you have.
Pourgouri pilafi belongs to the Greek Cypriot table, where bulgur remained a daily grain long after polished rice became more common in many mainland Greek kitchens. The browned fide reflects Ottoman and Levantine pilaf habits, but Cyprus made the dish its own with tomato and the island habit of serving it beside yogurt or legumes. It is also naturally suited to the Orthodox fasting calendar when cooked with water or vegetable broth.
Quantity
250g
Quantity
60g
broken into 3cm pieces
Quantity
60ml
Quantity
1
finely chopped
Quantity
2 tablespoons
Quantity
1
grated, or 120g canned crushed tomato
Quantity
600ml
Quantity
1 teaspoon
plus more to taste
Quantity
1/2 teaspoon
Quantity
1
Quantity
2 tablespoons
chopped
Quantity
as needed
for serving
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| coarse bulgur wheat (pourgouri) | 250g |
| fine vermicelli or angel hair pasta (fide)broken into 3cm pieces | 60g |
| extra virgin Koroneiki olive oil | 60ml |
| medium onionfinely chopped | 1 |
| tomato paste | 2 tablespoons |
| ripe tomatograted, or 120g canned crushed tomato | 1 |
| hot vegetable broth, chicken broth, or water | 600ml |
| fine sea saltplus more to taste | 1 teaspoon |
| freshly ground black pepper | 1/2 teaspoon |
| small cinnamon stick (optional) | 1 |
| flat-leaf parsley (optional)chopped | 2 tablespoons |
| Greek or Cypriot strained yogurt (optional)for serving | as needed |
Put the pourgouri in a fine sieve and rinse it briefly under cool water. Let it drain while you start the pot. You want it clean and damp, not soaked.
Warm the olive oil in a wide lidded saucepan over medium heat. Add the broken fide and stir until it turns deep golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes. This is the step that decides the pilaf. If the pasta stays pale, the whole pot tastes flat; if it browns properly, it gives the pourgouri its nutty backbone.
Add the onion to the browned fide and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring often, until the onion softens and turns sweet at the edges. Keep the heat moderate so the fide does not darken too far.
Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute, until it stains the oil red. Add the grated tomato, salt, pepper, and cinnamon stick if using. Let it bubble for 2 minutes so the raw tomato taste settles.
Add the drained pourgouri and stir until every grain is glossy. Pour in the hot broth or water, bring it to a steady simmer, then lower the heat and cover the pan. Cook for 12 minutes without stirring.
Take the pan off the heat and leave it covered for 10 minutes. Remove the cinnamon stick, then fluff the pilaf gently with a fork. The grains should be tender but separate, with the vermicelli showing through like little browned threads.
Taste for salt and finish with parsley if you like. Serve warm, with strained yogurt beside it if this is not a fasting table. For nistisima, keep the broth vegetable or use water, and the dish needs no apology.
1 serving (about 225g)
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