Armenian Eech with Bulgur

Rinse the fine bulgur under cold water, drain in a sieve and set aside to dry. Blend the tomatoes until smooth, and finely dice the red onion, spring onion and sweet peppers.

Heat 60 ml of olive oil in a wide pot. Add half the onion and half of each type of sweet pepper, and cook over medium heat for 8–10 minutes, until softened but not browned.

Stir in the tomato paste, sugar, ground sumac, paprika and ground chili pepper. Mix well and cook for 1 minute to bring out the flavor of the spices.

Pour in the tomato purée, water and lemon juice, add salt, bring to a boil, then simmer over low heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Remove the pot from the heat, add the bulgur and stir thoroughly. Cover and let sit for 60 minutes, so the grain absorbs the tomato liquid and softens.

Once the mixture has cooled, add the remaining raw onion and sweet peppers, spring onion, parsley, black pepper and the rest of the olive oil. Mix well and season with more salt if needed.

Transfer the eech to a serving dish, cover and chill for at least 60 minutes. Serve as an appetizer or side dish, with lettuce leaves if desired.