Bulgur Wheat & Millet

Bulgur Wheat & Millet

Although corn is the most important food crop in Haiti, Bulgur Wheat (sorghum) and Millet (called Pitimi in Haiti) they are most widely consumed by low-income communities, especially in rural areas.  Bulgur Wheat is a unique cereal due to its drought tolerance and adaptation to tropical conditions and it is cooked like rice. In the sub-humid regions of Haiti, sorghum is often intercropped or rotated with Congo Bean (Pigeon Pea). 

Bulgur Wheat was imported by the Lebanese population to Haiti and it grows well.

Bulgur Wheat with tomatoes

Ingredients

1 tablespoon oil
2 scallion
3 tomatoes
½ onion, minced
2 garlic cloves, crushed and minced
1 teaspoon salt and pepper
1-1/2 cup bulgar wheat, rinsed in cold water.
3 tomatoes, diced
1 Tbsp tomato paste
2 Tbs of Haitian Bacon mixed
Bouquet garni
1 chicken cube
1 scotch bonnet pepper

Method:
Ground scallion, garlic, pepper together. Heat oil. Add bacon and let fry until golden.  Add ground spices and let fry for 1minute than add onion,  and tomatoes for 2 minutes. Add 2½ cups water, scotch bonnet pepper and salt and bring to a boil.

Rinse the bulgar wheat in a sieve  and to boiling liquid let cook until water evaporates (approximately 20 minutes). Stir, lower heat, and cook, covered, for 30 minutes. Stir before serving.

Bulgar Wheat with Herring

½ onion, minced
2 garlic cloves, crushed and minced
1 dried or smoked herring fillet, cut in small pieces
1 teaspoon salt and pepper
1 tablespoon oil
2 scallion
1 teaspoon salt and pepper
1-1/2 cup bulgar wheat, rinsed in cold water.
3 tomatoes, diced
1 Tbsp tomato paste
Bouquet garni
1 chicken cube

Method:
Ground scallion, garlic, pepper together. Heat oil. Add herring and let fry until golden.  Add ground spices and let fry for 1 minute than add onion, tomatoes paste for 2 minutes. Add 2½ cups water and salt and bring to a boil.

Rinse bulgar wheat in a sieve and add to boiling liquid and let cook until water evaporates (approximately 20 minutes). Stir, lower heat, and cook, covered, for 30 minutes. Stir before serving.

Bulgar Wheat with Kidney Beans

1/2 cup of red kidney beans
1 tablespoon oil
2 scallion
½ onion, minced
2 garlic cloves, crushed and minced
1 teaspoon salt and pepper
1-1/2 cup bulgar wheat, rinsed in cold water.
2 Tbs of Haitian Bacon mixed
Bouquet garni
1 chicken cube
1/2 cup of coconut milk

Method:
Place kidney beans in a pot and cover with water.  Let it cook until soft but not easily crushed.

Ground scallion, garlic, pepper together.

Drain the kidney beans and set aside kidney beans water.

Heat oil. Add bacon and let fry until golden. Add kidney beans add salt, chicken cube, ground spices, add onion,  and let fry for 2 minutes.  Add coconut milk and let it fry for a minute until the liquid evaporates and than add the kidney beans water and adjust water content and salt if need be and bring to a boil.

Rinse bulgar wheat and boil it to kidneys beans and let cook until water evaporates (approximately 20 minutes). Stir, lower heat, and cook, covered, for 30 minutes.

Stir before serving.  This dish can be served with legume or any type of Haitian meat or fish sauce
Yield: 4 servings

Bulgar Wheat Bread

Ingredients

14 cups flour (5 lbs.)
1 cup bulgar wheat (cooked)
1 T (level)yeast
3 cups hot water
3 cups tap water
1.5 t sugar
1/2 cup powdered milk
1.5 cup oil
2 t salt
1/2 cup raisins

Preparation

Start with the bulgar. Cook it (by simply adding hot water, and letting it
sit for 10 minutes).

Add 1/2 cup hot water to 1/2 cup room temperature water in a small bowl. Add the yeast, and let stand for 5 minutes.

Add 2 and 1/2 cup hot water to 2 and 1/2 cup room temperature water in a large bowl. Add the sugar and powdered milk, and then the yeast mixture from step 2. Mix together.

Add the oil to the mixture, as well as the bulgar, salt, raisins, and 1 cup of the flour. Mix together, and let this stand for 20 minutes.

Add the remainder of the flour, kneading the mixture until you have a consistent texture. Cover with the bowl, and let stand for 30 minutes while it rises.

Grease your bread pans.

Cut and shape the dough into 4 or 5 loaves, then pop the dough into the greased pans.

Let the loaves rise for another 25 minutes.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes at 250 degrees F.
                       

Plain Millet

1 tablespoon oil
½ onion, minced
2 garlic cloves, crushed and minced
1 teaspoon salt and pepper
1-1/2 cup Millet, rinsed in cold water.
Bouquet garni
1 chicken cube
1 scotch bonnet pepper

Method:
Heat oil. Add onion and let fry until golden.  Add 2½ cups water, garlic scotch bonnet pepper and salt and bring to a boil.

Rinse the millet in a sieve  and add to boiling liquid let cook until water evaporates (approximately 20 minutes). Stir, lower heat, and cook, covered, for 30 minutes.

Stir before serving. This recipe can be served with any bean sauce it marries well with dry pigeon pea sauce and any meat or fish sauce.

Millet with tomatoes

½ onion, minced
2 garlic cloves, crushed and minced
3 tomatoes diced
1 teaspoon salt and pepper
1 tablespoon oil
2 scallion
1 teaspoon salt and pepper
1-1/2 cup millet
3 tomatoes, diced
1 Tbsp tomato paste
Bouquet garni
1 chicken cube

Method:
Ground scallion, garlic, pepper together. Heat oil. Add tomatoes and let fry until cooked.  Add ground spices and let fry for 1 minute than add onion, tomatoes paste for 2 minutes. Add 2½ cups water and salt and bring to a boil.

Rinse millet in a sieve and add to boiling liquid and let cook until water evaporates (approximately 20 minutes). Stir, lower heat, and cook, covered, for 30 minutes. Stir before serving.

Millet with pigeon peas

Ingredients

3/4 cup of fresh pigeon peas
1 tablespoon oil
2 scallion
½ onion, minced
2 garlic cloves, crushed and minced
1 teaspoon salt and pepper
1-1/2 cup Millet, rinsed in cold water.
2 Tbs of Haitian Bacon mixed
Bouquet garni
1 chicken cube
1/2 cup of coconut milk

Method:

Ground scallion, garlic, pepper together.

Heat oil. Add bacon and let fry until golden. Add pigeon peas add salt, chicken cube, ground spices, add onion,  and let fry for 2 minutes.  Add coconut milk and let it fry for a minute until the liquid evaporates and than add  water and adjust salt if need be and bring to a boil.

Rinse Millet  and boil it to the pigeon peas and let cook until water evaporates (approximately 20 minutes). Stir, lower heat, and cook, covered, for 30 minutes.

Stir before serving.  This dish can be served with legume or any type of Haitian meat or fish sauce

Yield: 4 servings