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Does it really need an introduction? I could perhaps list the various ways people spell the “best salad in the world”, but I haven’t met anyone so far who hasn’t heard of tabbouleh! Whether it’s tabouleh, tabbouleh, tabouli, taboli, or any other variation… the taste and the aroma and the nutritious value are still the same!
I always get asked for a recipe for tabbouleh, but to be honest, I’ve never really followed a recipe… to me, it’s a lot of parsley, a lot of tomatoes, a bit of mint, finely chopped onions, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper… give it a good mix, get the hubby and the kids to taste test… remind them that this is only a taste test and not a feast! (and then chop some more to refill the bowl in preparation for dinner after all the tasting and the adjustments!).
It is so easy to make, and although it’s made out of very simple ingredients, it is still relatively versatile. The traditional Tabbouleh is made with Italian parsley, fresh mint, truss tomatoes, brown onion, bulgur wheat, lemon juice, lemon zest, olive oil, and seasoning to taste. But I’ve seen (and I’ve made) some tabbouleh with variations in the ingredients such as curly parsley, spring onion or red onion, lime juice, and quinoa as a replacement for bulgur.
- 2 cups Fresh parsley, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup Fresh mint, finely chopped
- or 1 tsp dried mint
- 1 cup Ripe red tomatoes, diced into small cubes
- 1 small Brown onion, finely chopped
- 1 tsp Salt (or to taste)
- 1 tsp black pepper (or to taste)
- 1/2 tsp sumak
- 1/4 cup Bulgur (fine cracked wheat, also called Borghol)
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- or 1/4 cup Sour grape juice
- 1/4 cup Extra virgin olive oil
Before you start preparing the vegetables, soak 1/4 cup fine bulgur with the lemon juice for about 10 minutes. This enhances the flavour of the tabbouleh.
Wash all the vegetables in clean cold water, and dry them.To finely chop the parsley, bunch them together and slice through them with a sharp knife, then rock the knife back and forth to cut the parsley more finely.Finely chop the mint, add them to the bowl.Finely dice the tomatoes, add them to the bowl. Finely dice the onion, and then rock the sharp knife back and forth to cut them into smaller cubes. After chopping the onion, season it with the salt and black pepper and sprinkle the sumak on top, then rub it with your hand to enhance its aroma and to soften it. Add them to the bowl.
Add the soaked bulgur and olive oil to the bowl and mix very well. Taste and adjust the seasoning to taste, you could also add more lemon juice if you like.
Place the bowl in the fridge and serve it with pomegranate molasses.
