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Traditional Lebanese Tabbouleh Recipe
Tabbouleh has a long history in the Middle East. It is known that bulghur wheat has been used for at least 4000 years. Tabbouleh was probably invented not too long after. Combining the wheat with all the fresh greens and tomatoes makes for a very tasty and nutritious dish. Tabbouleh can be eaten as a side dish or as a main dish. You can even set out a bowl with individual lettuce leaves piled high so everyone can use them to hold an appetizer sized portion of the salad. Tabbouleh excites the taste buds while it nourishes the body. Serve it alone or with lamb or chicken.
One of the best things about tabbouleh recipes is how easy it is to make the recipe larger or smaller. The salad is based on a balance of ingredients. Authentic tabbouleh is ¾ parsley and ¼ everything else. Keeping that in mind, you can increase your ingredients from feeding 6 to 60 with little trouble. In the United States, many recipes for tabbouleh are mostly wheat. While this is still tasty, remember that authentic recipes are mostly parsley. You can mix up the parsley a little bit by mixing in some curly parsley if you wish. It does not change the flavor, but it does fluff up the salad a little and gives more textural contrast.
Tabbouleh can be served as a dip with pita chips, stuffed as filling inside pita bread, or eaten wrapped in a lettuce leaf. Of course, you can also use a bowl and a fork if you prefer. The salad should remain simple. Use the freshest ingredients you can find. Use vine ripened tomatoes and extra virgin olive oil for the flavor. If you can, avoid the food processor in favor of hand chopping so the greens do not get bruised. Once you taste it, you will understand.
Tempting Tabbouleh
Ingredients -
1 cup bulghur wheat
1-½ cups boiling water
¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)
¼ cup olive oil
3-½ teaspoons kosher salt
1 cup scallions, minced (both white and green portions)
1 cup fresh mint leaves, chopped
1 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped
1 cucumber, unpeeled, seeded and diced
1 large tomato, sliced
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Preparation:
In a large bowl, combine the bulghur wheat and the boiling water. Add the lemon juice, olive oil and 1-½ teaspoons of salt. Stir well. Let the mixture stand at room temperature for 1 hour.
Add the mint, scallions, cucumber, parsley, 2 teaspoons of salt, and the pepper. Mix the contents of the bowl thoroughly. Season to taste. For the best flavor, chill the tabbouleh for a few hours before serving. Cover before refrigerating. Allow the tabbouleh to warm slightly before serving so it is closer to room temperature. Stir gently to redistribute the dressing.
(Serves 8)
Photo Description:
Our Tempting Tabbouleh is full of flavor and nutrition. This is a recipe that relies on the freshest of ingredients. This traditional Lebanese dish can be served in bowls or on a large platter with pita chips. Lettuce leaves also make a great wrapper that guests can use to hold portions of the dish. Tabbouleh can be served on its own or as a side dish. It can even be an appetizer. This healthy salad will soon become a staple on your menu once you give it a try.
