How To Make Tabouli
A great vegetarian side-dish for brunch, lunch, or dinner, Tabouli is a classic Middle-Eastern salad, and in addition to being low in fat, is surprisingly cheap to make. It traditionally forms part of a mezze in Arab cuisine, and whether you choose to take it along to a potluck supper, serve it alongside grilled meat and seafood, or simply eat it cold with pita bread as an appetiser, Tabouli can easily be made at home and is a healthy option as opposed to cream or mayonnaise-based salads.
Prep time: 20-30 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 25-35 min
Yield: 4 servings
Utensils: Large bowl, wooden spoon, water jar, serving plates and serving spoon
Instructions
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1
Ingredients:
Medium-grind bulghur (often labelled as #2 grade): 1 cup
Boiling water: 1 cup
Diced tomato: 1 cup
Diced cucumber: 1 cup
Diced onion (soak in ice water to crisp it and mellow it) or green onions (no need to soak those): ½ cup
Chopped parsley: 1 cup
Chopped mint (can also be substituted with cilantro or dill): ¼ cup
For The Dressing:
Fresh lemon juice: ¼ cup
Extra virgin olive oil: ⅓ cup
Clove garlic, minced: 1
Salt: 1 teaspoon
Pepper: 1 teaspoon -
2
Start by preparing the bulghur. Also known as cracked wheat, bulghur is basically wheat grains that have been parboiled, dried out, and then cracked into pieces – so essentially, they are cooked, and just need to be rehydrated. Mix the bulghur and boiling water together in a bowl, cover it with cling film, and allow it to sit for at least 15 minutes, and at most 30 minutes.
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3
Combine the tomato, cucumber, onion, parsley, and mint together in a bowl. In a separate bowl, mix together all the ingredients for the dressing, and put this aside.
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4
Check on the bulghur – you’ll know it’s done when it has absorbed all the water, and has become tender and soft.
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5
Proceed to combine the bulghur and vegetables together in a bowl. Then, pour over the dressing and toss it all together with a wooden spoon.
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6
Cover the bowl with cling film, and refrigerate it for around an hour, to allow it to chill and ensure that the flavours have time to blend together.
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7
Garnish with more parsley and mint, and serve cold.
