Tabbouleh

Recipe No.: A-14

Arab35 minServes 6

Tabbouleh is a Levantine salad of finely chopped parsley, soaked bulgur, tomatoes, mint and onion, seasoned with olive oil, lemon and salt and served as part of a mezze. It is said to originate in the mountains of Lebanon and Syria, and sources note that the 'salamouni' wheat grown in the Beqaa Valley was regarded in the mid-19th century as especially suited to making bulgur. Lebanon marks a National Tabbouleh Day on the first Saturday of July, celebrated since 2001. Traditional tabbouleh is parsley-led rather than grain-led.

Ingredients for Tabbouleh

• For the tabbouleh
• 4 bunchesflat-leaf parsley (about 300 g leaves), washed, dried well and chopped very finely
• ½ cupfresh mint leaves, finely chopped
• 4firm ripe tomatoes, cut into very small cubes
• 4scallions or 1 small onion, finely chopped
• ¼ cup(50 g) fine (#1) bulgur
• For the dressing
• ½ cuplemon juice (about 3 lemons)
• ⅓ cupextra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tspsalt, ¼ tsp black pepper and ¼ tsp allspice
• To serve
• romaine or small cabbage leaves to scoop up the tabbouleh

Method

1. Rinse and drain the bulgur and soak it in 3 tbsp of the lemon juice and 2 tbsp water for 15 to 20 minutes until tender but still slightly chewy.
2. Dry the parsley and mint completely after washing, as water makes the salad soggy. Chop them very finely with a sharp knife without bruising.
3. Dice the tomatoes finely and drain off some of the excess juice, and chop the scallions finely.
4. Combine the parsley, mint, tomatoes, scallions and bulgur in a wide bowl.
5. Add the remaining lemon juice, the oil, salt, pepper and allspice, toss gently, then taste and adjust acidity and salt.
6. Serve at once on a platter with the lettuce or cabbage leaves.

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