Food Ingredients Dictionary - Bulgur

In the continuation of food dictionary, next is Bulgar Wheat or broken wheat from the Tabbouleh Salad. Bulgur wheat is a natural whole grain cereal, made by coarsely milling grains of wheat (usually durum wheat). Do not get confused with cracked wheat. Bulgur is parboiled while cracked wheat is just crushed wheat grains.


Bulgur is a common ingredient of Turkish, Middle Eastern, Indian (daliya) and Mediterranean dishes for making pilafs, soups, bakery goods or for stuffing. Available in three grinds -- coarse foe making pilafs or stuffing, medium for cereals and fine for salads. When cooked, broken wheat has a very hearty, warm aroma and a grainy, delightful taste.

Minimal processing makes bulgur, highly nutritious. A cup of bulgur has fewer calories, more fiber and less fat than twice the fiber of brown rice. Replace white or brown rice with bulgur to maximize weight loss, as you would consume less calories but would still feel full. Bulgur is high in minerals and prevents constipation, reduces the risk of diabetes, cancer and heart diseases.

Food Ingredients Dictionary - China Grass

Many food enthusiasts asked about china grass which I used in making Low Calorie Chocolate Mousse. This gave me the idea to start a new food dictionary. In these blog posts, I would explain the new or uncommon ingredients which I would or I had used in making any dish. Here I start with the first ingredient.



Agar or agar agar is a gelatinous substance extracted from seaweeds like Ceylon moss. Because, gelatin is made from animal tissue, agar agar is used commonly as a vegetarian gelatin substitute for making soups, jellies, desserts, ice creams by vegans. According to Wikipedia, the word "agar" comes from the Malay word agar-agar (meaning jelly). It is one of the main ingredients of Japanese cuisine for making desserts.

Kanten, China grass, or Japanese isinglass are the other names of agar agar. Like ordinary gelatin, agar is flavorless. When dissolved in water, heated and then cooled, it becomes gelatinous. Its is full of protein along with number of minerals and gels more firmly than gelatin.

Agar's gelling power is weakened by acids and would breakdown when exposed to enzymes of raw fruits like kiwi, papaya, pineapple, peach, mango, guava, and fig. So, use canned fruits instead of fresh ones.