Summery Salads - N°3 - Tabbouleh

Now, this is the Lebanese version of Tabbouleh (i.e. based on a lot of parsley rather than a lot of bulgur or couscous as is the Moroccan version). Yet, you still need a bit of bulgur for the Lebanese version too. In case you don’t know what that is, let me explain quickly: “Burgul” is the Turkish word whereas in Arabic it is called “burghul”. It looks a lot like couscous, but is a bit thicker. According to Wikipedia, bulgur is made from the groats of several different wheat species, most commonly from durum wheat. You find it a lot in Middle Eastern cuisine, as for example in Tabbouleh. So here comes the recipe:

Ingredients (for a bowl of salad):

4 bunches of flat parsley

1 bunch of fresh mint

½ cucumber (optional)

5 tomatoes

1 small white onion

5 tbsp. bulgur

Olive oil

Juice of 1-2 lemons

Salt and spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and pepper)

Lettuce and cabbage leaves

Preparation:

Wash the parsley and mint and dry them thoroughly. Chop both finely and add them in a bowl. Cut the cucumber, tomatoes and onion and keep separately (the Tabbouleh gets soggy quite quickly). Shortly before serving, mix in the tomatoes, onions (and cucumber) with the parsley and mint and add the bulgur (no cooking needed!). Add the liquids: lemon juice and olive oil and season with salt and the spices. Mix well and serve with lettuce or cabbage leaves.