Red Lentil and Bulgur Porridge with Tomato Onion Sauce

Step-by-step recipe

1. For tasty, smooth lentil porridge, the lentils need to be good quality, free of debris and made up of whole seeds. We usually buy Turkish lentils in small packs of 1-2 cups, which is enough for two meals for two. We add bulgur to thicken the dish, and we buy the kind made from whole, uncracked wheat grains.
   
2. Rinse the lentils in cold water first. Put them in a pot, pour in 4 cups of cold water and set over the heat. Be sure to stir the lentils while the water comes to a boil: they readily stick to the bottom of the pot. Soon after the water boils, the lentils swell and, as people often say, burst open.
   
3. Add the bulgur; it doesn't need rinsing. When bulgur is made, the wheat is steamed and dried, so it's essentially ready to eat and only needs to take up moisture again. If the lentil porridge is too thick, add a little boiling water. Cook until the grains are completely done: the lentils should start to fall apart, and the bulgur should turn soft and stand out clearly in the mix. By the way, note that the porridge isn't salted and no spices are added.
   
4. While the grains cook, make the dressing, often called a sauce. Heat 1 tbsp of vegetable oil, sunflower or olive, in a skillet. Peel and finely chop the onion. Fry the onion in the oil until soft and a nice deep golden color. It's best to fry the onion over medium heat, stirring constantly: that way it cooks through better and its sugars begin to caramelize.
   
5. Next, add tomato to the fried onion. Good-quality tomato paste works well. Also add 2-3 tbsp of water. By the way, you can replace the paste with about 0.5 cup of tomato juice. Salt the sauce well and add chili and ground black pepper to taste. Stir the paste and onion, bring to a boil and simmer over low heat until the lentil porridge in the pot is fully cooked.
   
6. Combine the onion fried with tomato and the cooked grains. Use a whisk: it's very handy for mixing lentil porridge, making it smooth and creamy. Add more salt and spices if you like. If needed, add a little more boiling water to get the consistency you want. Cook the porridge over low heat, stirring often, for another 3-4 minutes. Then turn off the heat.
   
7. By the way, be careful: thick porridges can spatter as they boil. Serve the porridge hot and don't save it for later; it's not worth reheating. Spoon the porridge into bowls or plates and sprinkle with coarsely ground chili to taste. If the dish isn't meant to be vegetarian, you can add a little butter if you like.
   
8. You can also use green lentils for this dish: the tomato will give the porridge its red color. Use more onion if you like. You can also make the sauce without tomato, using fried red bell pepper that you purée after frying. Ground cumin is often added to the porridge for extra flavor.