Etli Nohut, Chickpeas & Beef

📝 Ingredients

• 300 g lean minced beef (5% fat)
• 2 tins chickpeas (530 g drained)
• 1 brown onion (about 120 g)
• 1 green pepper (about 150 g)
• 2 tbsp tomato purée (40 g)
• 2 tsp sweet paprika + ½ tsp ground cumin
• 2 tbsp olive oil (1 for the stew, 1 for the bulgur)
• 1 beef stock cube + 400 ml hot water
• 240 g bulgur wheat + 550 ml water
• 200 g Greek yoghurt, 2% fat
• Salt, black pepper

🍴 Utensils

• Casserole dish or sauté pan
• Saucepan with lid
• Colander
• Wooden spoon
• Clean tea towel
• Chopping board and knife

📖 Steps

1. Peel and thinly slice the onion. Deseed the pepper and cut it into roughly 1 cm dice. Drain the chickpeas in the colander and rinse under cold water. Dissolve the stock cube in 400 ml hot water.
2. Heat 1 tbsp oil in the casserole over a medium-high heat. Add the minced beef and break it up with the wooden spoon. Let it brown for 5 min without stirring too much, until no longer pink and the liquid has evaporated.
3. Add the onion and pepper, lower to a medium heat and cook for 6 to 7 min, stirring, until the onion is translucent. Stir in the tomato purée, paprika and cumin and stir for 1 min to toast them without burning.
4. Add the chickpeas and stock, bring to the boil, then simmer for 20 min over a low heat with the lid ajar. The stew is ready when the sauce has thickened and coats the chickpeas. Taste, then season with pepper, and salt if needed: the stock is already salty.
5. Meanwhile, heat 1 tbsp oil in the saucepan over a medium heat and toast the bulgur for 2 min, stirring, until it smells nutty. Pour in 550 ml water and ½ tsp salt, then bring to the boil.
6. Cover and cook for 12 min over a very low heat, without lifting the lid, until the water is absorbed. Off the heat, slip the clean tea towel under the lid and leave to rest for 10 min: it absorbs the steam and keeps the grains nice and separate.
7. Fluff up the bulgur with a fork. Serve a portion of pilaf in shallow bowls, with a generous ladle of etli nohut alongside and 50 g Greek yoghurt per person. The stew keeps for 4 days in the fridge and is even better reheated.