Light and refreshing tabbouli/tabbouleh is a salad popular in Lebanon and other countries in the Levant area. It is prepared with finely chopped parsley as the main ingredient, with sweetness from tomatoes and freshness from mint to balance the earthiness. Bulgur wheat provides texture with a simple dressing of olive oil, salt and lemon juice, balancing the flavours.
There are a few different English spellings for this vibrant and fresh parsley salad – tabbouleh, tabbouli, tabouli, taboule etc. The name is derived from an Arabic root word which translates to “seasoning” or “to spice”.
Tabbouli is delicious and very easy to make. It is usually served with a Mezza (an assortment of appetizers) and can also be eaten with flatbreads, pita, lettuce leaves, kebabs and other grilled meats.
How To Make Lebanese Tabbouli/Tabbouleh
Here are the ingredients you need...
- Bulgur wheat
- Parsley
- Mint
- Cucumber
- Spring onions
- Tomatoes
- Salt
- Lemon juice
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Ground Black pepper
Notes about the ingredients...
- Parsley: This is the star of this recipe. Flat-leaf parsley is traditionally used, but you can substitute it with curly parsley.
- Bulgur: Remember, tabbouli is a parsley salad, not bulgur salad. You only need a small quantity of bulgur. Tabbouli should be mostly green with some specks of white from bulgur and red from the tomatoes. Fine bulgur (#1) is preferred to the coarse one for this salad.
- Cucumber: Most traditional recipes do not include cucumber, but it adds crunch to the salad, which I like.
- Dressing: Tabbouli is delicious with a simple lemon and olive oil dressing. However, you can jazz it up with spices and condiments like pomegranate molasses, Lebanese seven spices, sumac etc.
How To Make It...
A lot of chopping is involved in making tabbouli as the herbs and vegetables need to be finely chopped. It is best to chop with a sharp knife to keep the ingredients fresh. Using a chopper or food processor to chop will bruise the leaves and cause a wet salad. However, if you have to use a chopper, then make sure to drain the ingredients in a colander to get rid of excess moisture.
If you’re using raw bulgur wheat, prepare according to pack instructions.
Wash the parsley and mint by dunking in water a few times until the water runs clear, then shake or pat dry with a napkin to dry. Next, wash the cucumbers, tomatoes and spring onions.
Remove the stalk from the parsley and slice the leaves finely. Strip the mint leaves and slice too.
Cut the tomatoes in half and remove the seeds and pulp, leaving only the firm flesh. Do the same for the cucumber and chop both vegetables. Chop the spring onions.
Remove any excess liquid in the chopped herbs and vegetables by draining in a colander.
Assemble the bulgur, parsley, mint, tomatoes, cucumber and spring onions in a bowl. Squeeze in the lemon juice, add the extra virgin olive oil and a pinch of salt. Add the black pepper, and then toss.
Recipe FAQ
Bulgur, also known as burghul, is whole wheat that has been parboiled, dried, and cracked. It is popular in Mediterranean cuisine. Bulgur is sifted into grades depending on the particle size. Since it has been parboiled, it is usually soaked or simmered for a few minutes to rehydrate before consumption. You can find the grain and lentils in most big supermarkets. You can also buy it from Middle Eastern stores and on Amazon.
Removal of the seeds and pulp helps to get rid of liquid in tomatoes and cucumbers, which could leach into the tabbouli and make it soggy.
You can do all the slicing and chopping a day or two before, then assemble and add the lemon, salt, black pepper and olive oil about an hour before you’re ready to serve so the flavours can meld together. The finished tabbouli can be stored in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to three days. Unfortunately, you cannot freeze this tabbouli as some of the ingredients, like the tomatoes and cucumber, have high moisture content and will become mushy after freezing.
Related Recipes
Delicious and healthy salads to try...
Tabbouli/Tabbouleh - Lebanese Parsley Salad
Ingredients
- 3 cups Parsley stripped from stalk
- ½ cup Mint
- ¼ Cucumber
- 3 Spring onions
- 2 Tomatoes
- Salt to taste
- 1 Lemon juiced
- 2 tablespoons Extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup Bulgur wheat cooked
- ¼ teaspoon Ground Black pepper
Instructions
- If you’re using raw bulgur wheat, prepare according to pack instructions.
- Wash the parsley and mint by dunking in water a few times until the water runs clear, then shake or pat dry with a napkin to dry. Next, wash the cucumbers, tomatoes and spring onions.
- Remove the stalk from the parsley and slice the leaves finely. Strip the mint leaves and slice too.
- Cut the tomatoes in half and remove the seeds and pulp, leaving only the firm flesh. Do the same for the cucumber and chop both vegetables. Chop the spring onions.
- Remove any excess liquid in the chopped herbs and vegetables by draining in a colander.
- Assemble the bulgur, parsley, mint, tomatoes, cucumber and spring onions in a bowl. Squeeze in the lemon juice, add the extra virgin olive oil and a pinch of salt. Add the black pepper, and then toss.
Leave a Reply