A Tabbouleh recipe, like its name, has various versions. Whatever recipe you follow, or by whatever name you know it, you can’t deny it’s simply delicious.
What is Tabbouleh?
Tabbouleh is a refreshing Middle Eastern salad with lots of freshly chopped parsley and soaked bulgur wheat. Other ingredients may include fresh mint, onions, and diced tomatoes. Lemon juice and olive oil dress this delicious tabbouleh salad. Along with falafels and hummus, it has become one of the most popular foods exported from the Levant region of the Middle East.
The Levant region encompasses Lebanon, Israel, and other countries north of Saudi Arabia. However, it sometimes refers to places such as Egypt, Turkey, and Greece. There are numerous spellings for Tabbouleh, including Tabouli, Tabouleh, and Tabbouli.
Bulgur Wheat for Tabbouleh
Bulgur Wheat is a cracked wheat popular across the Middle East and North Africa. It’s made from parboiled whole grain kernels, which are dried and ground into smaller grains. This process rapidly reduces the amount of time the wheat takes to cook. You only needs to soak bulgur wheat in hot water for use in this tabbouleh. This will make the grain chewier in texture, giving the salad a bit of a bite.
There are several different-sized bulgur wheats on sale in most supermarkets. For this recipe, you’ll need a fine to medium ground bulgur. The coarser grains are best for cooking and adding to soups and stews and will require a longer cooking process.
To soak, place the bulghar in a large enough heatproof bowl and cover it with boiling water at 2 parts water to 1 part bulghar. Allow enough room for the wheat to expand without absorbing all the water too quickly. Cover tightly and leave to soak for around 30 minutes until the water has absorbed and the grains are tender. Finally, fluff the wheat with a fork before adding it to the salad.
Herbs
Finely chopped herbs and vegetables are the secret to a good tabbouleh. This fine chopping allows the vegetables to mould into one. The recipe uses a lot of parsley.
Tabbouleh
Ingredients
- 120 g Medium Fine Bulghar Wheat
- 90 g of Parsley Leaves Finely Chopped
- 30 g Mint Leaves Finely Chopped
- ½ Red Onion Finely Diced
- 2 Plum Tomatoes Seeds Removed, Flesh Finely Diced
- Juice of 1 Lemon
- 45 ml of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Salt / Pepper to taste
- Pomegranate Seeds To Garnish
Instructions
- Boil the kettle and measure out 240ml of boiling water. Cover the bulgur wheat with boiling water in a medium bowl or saucepan with a lid. Cover it and set aside for 30 minutes to soak until all the water has been absorbed.
- Mix the herbs, chopped salad vegetables, and bulghar wheat in a large bowl.
- Mix with lemon juice and olive oil. Season to taste.
- Spoon the salad into a serving bowl and garnish with a spoonful of pomegranate seeds.
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