Chop well the onions and crush the garlic cloves.
Add half of the olive oil in a pan and heat it.
Add the chopped onions and sauté until onions become translucent. Then add the crushed garlic and sauté for an addition 2-3 minutes.
Add the tomato and pepper pastes and stir all together.
Add 400 millilitres of warm water stir and let to simmer for about 5 minutes.
Put the bulgur in a large seramic or glass bowl and add the contents of onion/water pot on top. Mix so that no dry bulgur is left and cover with a lid. The bulgur will soon absorb all the water.
After 10 minutes mix the bulgur again and taste if it is not soft enough add some warm water, mix and wait for another 5-10 minutes.
Meanwhile cut to thin slices the spring onions. If they are thick, cut them vertically first and then dice them into thin slices.
Chop the parsley.
Chop the mint leaves.
Clean the seeds of the green pepper and chop to small cubes.
Chop the pickles to similar sized cubes.
If you want to add fresh tomatoes you should take out the middle part with the seeds as these might make the salad get soggy.
Mix everything together, in the large bulgur bowl. Also add the remaining olive oil and all the spices. Mix well. Wait for 10 minutes so that the everththing is well blended.
Taste and add more spices if necessary to taste.
Line a serving dish with salad greens or boiled grape leaves and top with the salad as seen in the picture. Garnish with sliced tomatoes or pickles. Serve at room temperature or chilled.