Curried Bulgur Sliders

To avoid any confusion on the spelling of the weirdotron word “bulgur”, I’m going to refer to these sliders as Sylvia.

Because honestly, why is it such a pain to spell? Bulgur, bulgar, bulghur, burghul, bullhonkylonky. This is why Sylvia clearly makes sense.

What I’m trying to say is, I made something vegan! And I didn’t even really plan on it. Not that I’m against veganism and was protesting, “no no no, must have dairy and meat in it!” and then accidentally didn’t have the dairy and meat in it. It was nothing like that.

It was just me and bag of Sylvia, some spinach and curry paste sitting around staring at each other one lonely afternoon, when Sylvia goes, “Hey, lady. I have an idea. Why don’t you cook me in some water with some onions, garlic and that pretty spinach over there all chopped up.”

And then the spinach goes, “HEY. WAIT A MINUTE. Okay fine you can chop me. But be gentle because I bruise easily.”

And then the curry paste chimes in, “Listen, Spin Spin, don’t get lippy on us. All we’re trying to do here is create something yummy for Bev’s mouth. And Aaron’s too.”

And then the spinach was all, “I SAID IT WAS FINE. DID YOU NOT HEAR ME JUST SAY IT WAS FINE?”

And then we all looked at each other like, whoooooooa. Sylvia almost got up and left the room, you guys. It was tense.

And oh! Get a load of this. The panko tried to hide in the pantry, but I was grabbing it, “Ohhhhh no you don’t, panko! You’re the binder. Ya gotta help us out. Spin Spin is just irritated because she’s not caught up on Downton Abby yet everyone feels the need to tell her what happened. Just be patient.”

Panko obliged. Sylvia pat him on the shoulder.

That sweet Sylvia. She has such a heart.

What I’m trying to say is, I need friends.

Also, these sliders are seriously incredible you’re going to lose your miiiieeeennnndddaaaaa.

Curried Bulgur Sliders:

What it took for around 20 sliders:

* 2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil (plus a little more for searing the sliders)
* 1/2 yellow onion, finely diced
* 4 cloves garlic, minced
* 1 cup uncooked bulgur
* 2 cups water (you might need more)
* 2 cups chopped spinach
* 1/3 cup chopped cilantro, plus more for garnish
* 1 – 2 Tbs. green curry paste (to your liking)
* a pinch of coarse salt
* 1 cup panko
* 20 slider buns, lightly oiled (or buttered!) and toasted
* your favorite hummus, for serving
* 1/2 cup sliced red pepper, for garnish (sweet or hot, your call)

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add the onion and sauté 3 minutes, or until it starts to soften. Add the garlic and sauté another minute.

Add the spinach and cilantro and give it another toss for a minute or so. Add the bulgur and toss to coat. Stir in the water, throw the lid on and let it simmer on medium for 10 to 12 minutes. Taste to make sure it’s cooked through. Should be soft, but toothy.

Add the curry paste and a pinch of salt. Taste it and see how spicy you want it. Want to add more curry? By all means, bay-bay.

Now, transfer the mix to a big bowl. Let it sit about 10 minutes so it can cool a bit. After 10, add the panko to the bowl. Combine it with your hands. Now, form little golfball sized balls. You might need to press them together to stay, but it will work!

Heat a little more oil in a pan and arrange the sliders in a single layer. Carefully sear all over until browned, maybe 5 minutes total. You’ll probably need to do this in batches.

Serve on toasted slider buns with your favorite hummus, more cilantro and some sliced red pepper! Or whatever garnish makes you do the Electric Slide.

Team Sylvia!