Lentil and Bulgur Salad with Curried Onions and Bell Peppers

I wasn't kidding about making new salads! The kids like lentil stew in the winter, so I thought I would make this as a summer side. It's a middle-eastern recipe of which I'd seen different versions, and I ended up adopting different steps from each of the recipes! It turned out very good, so I thought you might like it too. I'd better warn you though that although it isn't very labor intensive, it took me almost an hour to get everything cooked as it needed to be.

INGREDIENTS (serves 6):

1 1/2 cup French green lentils, picked through and rinsed
1 cup bulgur wheat
1 cup of vegetable oil for frying
1 or 2 big yellow onions, quartered and sliced thin (depends on your taste for onions... I only put one in since we were sharing it with the kids)
2 red or yellow bell peppers, julienned
2 tablespoons Madras curry powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
salt and pepper

PREPARATION:

Place the lentils and 5 cups of cold water in a big saucepan, and bring to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 18 to 20 minutes, until lentils are tender but not quite done. The best way to test lentils is to bite into one. You'll know if it needs more time: it will be hard and taste chalky.

Add the bulgur wheat and 1/2 teaspoon salt, cover, and remove from the heat. Let sit until the bulgur is tender and the water is absorbed, 20 to 25 minutes, adding more water if the wheat seems dry; or draining if you have excess water once the bulgur is done.

While the lentils simmer, heat the vegetable oil in a high-sided saute pan over high heat until a single onion piece placed in the oil sizzles. If the oil gets so hot that it's smoking, take the pan off the heat until the oil cools slightly.

Place the onions in the oil, being careful as oil may splatter. Fry the onions until they are translucid (it took me a good 20 minutes). Add the peppers and the spices, stirring them occasionally with a metal spatula, until the onions become golden brown ( another good 20 minutes).

Remove the onions and peppers with a slotted spatula, hold them over the oil for a few seconds to drain, then toss them directly onto the grains. Don't worry about draining every drop of oil, the oil will add needed moisture to the salad. I actually ended up adding a spoonful of the spice-infused oil to the salad along with the onions.

Taste the salad to see if it needs more of anything, particularly salt. You can sprinkle with chopped parsley. You can serve hot or at room temperature.