Trader Joe’s has just come out with some new post-holiday seasonal products. Among them are a new series of 10 Minute grain products with bags of bulgur, farro, and barley available. I bought the bulgur (reviewed here) and farro (will be reviewing soon). The 10 Minute grains are such because they are pre-cooked (think “instant”). I don’t necessarily mind this because, according to the nutritional information, it doesn’t look like it’s stripped much of the nutrition away (it’s high in protein, fiber, and iron). I also think bulgur is customarily served parboiled so no biggie. Plus, I’m willing to give any new TJ’s product a try.
But let’s back up. What is bulgur anyway? Bulgur is made from durum wheat and is basically a wheat grain with much of the wheat bran still in tact. It acts and tastes a lot like rice. The most common use of bulgur is in tabboleh salad.
Overall, I really liked this new item. Each 10 Minute grain bag at TJ’s holds 8.8 oz. and costs $1.49. The bulgur cooked up for me in a little over 10 minutes. It didn’t get mushy though; it retained a nice al dente texture. As for taste I’d say it is bland/plain (I find all grains are though) but I added it to a hearty winter soup (recipe coming soon!) which it complemented nicely. I found that the bulgur quickly absorbed the liquid I cooked it in and, in fact, I needed to add more to achieve the texture I was looking for from the bulgur. The package offers two ways to cook the bulgur (boil and simmer) and provides a few ways to cook with it. I think my favorite ways to use this will be in soups, salads, and in place of rice.
(Product reviews are never sponsored; they are just my musings on products I’ve tried and want to share with you.)
