Chicken and Vegetables in Ayvar Sauce with Bulgour and Vermicelli

I visited an other Turkish supermarket yesterday. The one just in the neighborhood has been closed for ever. That's a pity.

To reach the other I have to drive through the city from one end to the other. After lots of red traffic lights, I finally found it. It is huge, doube the size the one here was. The butcher shop inside was larger too. I bought some boneless chicken thighs and a garlic Sucuk sausage.

Tge first thing I found was a package of bulgour that was much darker than the other packages beside it. That made me curious and I checked it out. The fine bulgour had brown thin strips mixed in with the wheat. They looked like toasted noodles. A small print on the package said in English: with vermicelli 

When I cook Turkish pilaw sometimes, I roast angelhair pasta in oil until it gets some color, than add the pilaw rice and cook both together. I did not know that it was common to do this combination with bulgour too.

I harvested Turkish long thin aubergines and a yellow zucchini last weekend. I had to do something with them. A red bell pepper, some green onions and a couple of garlic cloves were added to. Lots of fresh dill needed to go too.

Recipe for 3:

3 boneless chicken thighs

Chicken seasoning

Rendered chicken fat

1 yellow zucchini

4 small aubergines

1 red bell pepper

1/2 red onion, 2 green onions, 3 garlic cloves

4 tbsp dill

Salt, pepper

5 tsp Ayvar

4 tbsp water

Salt, pepper

Bulgour:

2/3 cup bulgour and vermicelli

Rendered chicken fat

Double the amount of bulgour in hot veg stock

I skinned the chicken thighs and cut the meat in large chunks. The skin went in a pot and on medium high heat the fat was rendered out. Clean out the skin parts and filter most of the fat through a strainer. 

In the same pot with the remaining bit of chicken fat, add the bulgour mix and stir well. Pour the hot veg stock over it, reduce the heat to low, cover and cook for 12 min. Take a fork to loosen the bulgour and serve with the chicken and veggies.

In a wide pan add some chicken fat and toss in the seasoned chicken pieces. Let it take a good color, than put in a bowl on the side. 

Get the chopped veggies in and season them with salt and pepper. After 5 min, add a bit of water to steam them, then toss the chicken back in the pan and the ayvar with a little more water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and cover and cook for 10 to 12 min.

Finish with fresh dill and serve with the bulgour vermicelli side dish.