Tabbouleh is a gorgeous fresh salad, traditional in the Middle East and with several variations. You can use pomegranate seeds instead of (or as well as) tomato, some recipes add cucumber, and you can adjust the parsley to bulgur wheat ratio to your liking. Parsley is the star of the show here and many traditional recipes use a large quantity of parsley, with a smaller quantity of bulgur wheat. I've used a little more bulgur wheat for a filling salad (and I prefer the texture).
This is lovely as a healthy lunch, or as a side dish/ part of a mezze platter.
Serves 4 as a main, 6 as a side
Ingredients
150g bulgur wheat
6 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp lemon juice
10 piccolo tomatoes, quartered and de-seeded
100g parsley, finely chopped
3 spring onions, sliced
50g fresh mint, finely chopped (optional)
Method
1. Cook the bulgur wheat to packet instructions, once cooked drain and leave in sieve for a few minutes to cook slightly (this will stop the heat from wilting the herbs).
2. While the bulgur wheat is cooking, whisk together the olive oil and lemon juice to create the dressing. Season to taste.
3. Prepare the herbs, tomatoes and parsley - chop the parsley finely. If using mint (I didn't this time, as I wanted the parsley to shine and not get overpowered. However, mint does add a lovely freshness if you choose). I de-seed the tomatoes, as too much juice makes the salad a little wet.
4. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix.
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