Tabbouli

Or Tabbouleh or Tabouli or Tabbooli or infinite variations thereof
Just don't add carrots and chickpeas and call it Tabbouli!
An approximation of what I do. When assembling the salad, tip a small bit into your palm with the mixing spoon, then pop into your mouth. Slightly more sanitary. Taste, taste, taste!

Note: You may make this ahead of time for several hours or overnight, but do not add salt or olive oil until just before serving.

1/2 cup bulghur wheat (fine grind is best, medium works okay)
2 bunches parsley (I prefer flat leaf texture but curly is fine)
1 bunch green onion
Tomatoes - at least 2 cups chopped
Fresh mint. 5 or 6 stalks at least
2 to 3 lemons (to taste!)
Olive oil
Salt
Cucumbers (optional)
Romaine lettuce leaves (garnish & scoopers, optional)
Fresh grape leaves (scoopers - optional)

Soak the bulghur wheat in at least three times its volume of cold water. Fine grind only needs a half hour of soaking. Medium grind needs longer. Bulghur wheat has already been parboiled before cracking or grinding, so it doesn’t need further cooking to be edible in tabbouli. Drain bulghur.

Chop the parsley leaves, green onions, mint, tomatoes and cucumbers. Some Lebanese add white onion but I find the taste too harsh. Chop the parsley quite fine, using a knife. I tried a food processor and found that it makes parsley too fine and gloppy. The tomatoes must be cut up into quite small dice.

Mix veggies and bulghur together. Douse with strained lemon juice. If you are not ready to serve immediately, then cover and hold in a cool place. Do NOT add salt and olive oil until immediately before serving.

You may garnish with more diced tomatoes and/or diced cucumber, and stick lettuce or grape leaves around the sides of the bowl. Lebanese like to use leaves to scoop up the salad, popping leaf and salad into mouth.

Comments

[D. Mathews]

I have gotten good results by sometimes substituting cooked quinoa for the bulghur wheat. Call it my "south american variant" to the famous lebanese recipe. I also add one half a cup of finely chopped onion cured in a mix of salt, black pepper and allspice. -- DM (Oberlin class of 1981)

[Bob Calder]

My wife puts a good funky feta cheese in to make it a main meal. I know it's not traditional but WOW!

[Rebecca]

No comment just a question please. I have been told that after soaking the cracked wheat for 30 minutes I have to squeese it with hands to rid of water is there another way to do so. You don't mention that in your recipe. Thanks
Mrs. Rodenberger