Tabbouleh Salad

Tabbouleh is a simple Mediterranean salad of very finely chopped fresh parsley, bulgur wheat, tomatoes, and mint all tossed in with my favorite salad dressing. Tabbouleh is best served cold especially to get all the flavors to develop with each other. This can become tedious because of the finely chopped ingredients but if you have a food processor then it will be quicker to make.

Components of Tabbouleh

• Bulgur is a cracked whole grain wheat that is partially cooked then dried, all it needs is to rehydrate them. A good substitution is quinoa which is a great gluten-free option. Rehydrate bulgur in water for 30 minutes or until they puff up and easily split in your fingertips.
• Parsley is the main component in this recipe! Cilantro cannot be used in its place! Make sure to soak parsley in water and dry completely beforehand. To speed up time you can use a food processor for the parsley while chopping up the rest of the ingredients.
• Tomatoes need to be deseeded and chopped finely.
• Cucumbers are better enjoyed when the skin is removed unless using English or Persian cucumbers.
• Fresh Mint adds freshness to the salad and another dimension to it.

how to make tabbouleh

Here’s all the ingredients you will need to make this delicious salad

• parsley
• mint
• tomatoes
• cucumbers
• green onions
• bulgur
• lemon
• pomengranate molasses
• olive oil

Start by washing and draining the excess water of the parsley before adding to the food processor. In a large bowl, add the finely chop mint, tomatoes, cucumbers and green onions with the parsley. Mix to combine. In another small bowl to make the salad dressing, add olive oil, lemon juice, sumac, pomegranate molasses, fresh garlic, seven spice, and salt. Mix to combine. Allow the ingredients to mingle together in the fridge for a few hours so that way it has developed more flavors.

Ingredients

Tabbouleh

• 6 cups parsley, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup mint, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup fine bulgur wheat
• 3 firm roma tomatoes, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup green onion, finely chopped
• 3/4 – 1 cup Persian cucumber or English cucumbers

Salad Dressing

• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/3 cup lemon or lime juice
• 1 teaspoon sumac spice
• 1/4 teaspoon seven spice
• 1/4 salt
• 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses (optional but recommended)

Instructions

1. Rinse the bulgur wheat and soak it in water for 30 minutes or until it’s soaked a majority of the water. Drain and squeeze the bulgur by hand to get rid of any excess water. Set aside.
2. In a food processor or chopping board, blend or chop parsley until its very fine.
3. Finely chop mint, tomatoes, green onions, and cucumbers and add into a mixing bowl. Set aside.
4. In the same tabbouleh mixing bowl, add the drained bulgur.
5. In a mason jar, add olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, pomegranate molasses, and spices, adjust to taste and add to mxing bowl. Mix till well combine.
6. For better results, refrigerate for 30 minutes by covering the bowl and allowing all the flavors to combine.