I've just discovered bulgar wheat, and it's life changing for a vegan
I've always known about it. But had no idea how good it is until I got really into it. I've been obsessed lately. Obsessed.
My biggest issue with eating healthy is getting full. This stuff makes you full. And you stay full, low glycemic index is a huge win. And you're not hungry after eating. Did I mention that you feel to really full and satisfied after eating it?
It's a ton of fiber and a whole grain that cooks in FIFTEEN STUPID MINUTES in hot water from the kettle. That's because to make it, the farmers parboil it. After drying it in the sun, they crack it. That's it. Minimal processing. But that means also that it's precooked and richer in resistant starches.
As a rice substitute it's good. But I also add handfuls to salads, and my salad lasts days. Throw some in soups too! Can be prepared as a sweet porridge with oats. (Look up Turkish bulgar pilav with the coarse stuff. Nom nom)
Unlike brown rice and quinoa and buckwheat it doesn't have a distinct taste and can go with any kind of meal and doesn't have a weird slimy texture.
Unlike the above, it's really crazy cheap. I buy it from the Indian store and it's a fraction of the price of the bulgar in my local white people store.
It's sustainable AF. Basically grows in the sand during a drought. Had been produced in the same way for thousands of years.
Leftovers taste even better. It's worth making just for the leftovers. I'm in love.
Speaking of leftovers, when you cook and cool a starch it forms resistant starches. The more times you do this the better the starch is for your colon. Bulgar is parboiled by the farmers, then cooled and cracked. Cooked again by you. And then when cooled for leftovers gives you awesome resistant starches and even awesomer poops.
It's a great camping food. It cooks 15 minutes in a kettle. I mix with TVP and mushroom powder/broth and I feel so satisfied. If you have some olives in a little mini container it's life changing during camping.
It doesn't go stale. Brown rice always goes stale. Because no one likes it. I mean, no one whose honest likes it. Not after subbing it with bulgar.
It pairs with beans gloriously. Especially with citrus and herbs and tomato. Lasts all week. A filling side dish for every lunch.
It's great cold and I'm DOESN'T cultivate pathogenic gram negative bacteria from endospores like rice does giving vegans food poisoning on the regular.
Did I mention it's cheap, stainable, delicious, healthy, and cooks in 15 minutes?
Big fan these days.
Tips. There are three sizes. #1 #2 and #3. Smallest is #1 good for salads. #2 soups and porridges #3 is your rice substitute. Buy from Indian or Mediterranean/middle eastern store. Log back into Reddit to thank me.