I've made this several times, came across it again this week, and just finished making a pot. I could not find Bulgur in my pantry, so used Farro instead. It is very tasty. I also do not add the water, I like a rich soup, so I always use stock as a substitute. Today I used Better than Bouillon vegetable base and a good chicken stock.
https://www.tumblr.com/sfrecipes/189994 ... -pepper-so
Note: At the end of cooking, I added two ice cubes of fresh Lisbon Lemon, and chopped baby spinach.