Tabouli salad (Tabbouleh) is a healthy Mediterranean salad with fresh parsley, mint, vegetables, spices, lemon, lime and bulgur wheat, and olive oil dressing. Use quinoa instead of bulgur to make it gluten-free.
Prep Time25minutes mins
Cook Time0minutes mins
Total Time25minutes mins
Course: Salad, Appetizer / Side, Meze,
Cuisine: Mediterranean, Healthy, vegan, Levantine
Servings: 8
Calories: kcal
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup fine wheat bulgur
- 4 large tomatoes, medium-fine chopped
- 2 large cucumbers, skinned and medium chopped
- 10 green onions, cut the roots, use 2″ = all of the white and some of the green
- 3 very large bunches (or 4-5, if regular size) of flat Italian parsley medium-fine chopped
- 2 small mint plants (about 1 cup) medium-fine chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh black pepper
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 1 lime, juices
- 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
Instructions
Place the fine bulgur wheat in a bowl, wash in warm water at the sink – draining the cloudy water off and refill until clear (takes about 3-4 washes). Drain. Pour in 1 cup of boiling water. Let the bulgar wheat sit in the hot water, until ready to use – the last step below, about 20 minutes.
Medium-finely chop the green onions, cutting off the the roots first (just the strings), using 2″ including the white and some of the green part of the onions. Place them neatly together in a big salad bowl.
Take the flat Italian parsley and cut off the stems (about 5 inches to where you see the leaves develop. You do want to eat the stems – since they are coarse and bitter. It seems like a waste, but you just want to have the leaves. This is why you need to buy a generous large bunches of parsley – since about 25 percent is waste.) Then medium-finely chop the leaf bunches of flat Italian parsley. Place them neatly together in a big salad bowl.
Take the mint and cut off the stems (about 3 inches to where you see the leaves develop. You do want to eat the stems – since they are coarse and bitter also). Then medium-finely chop the leaf bunches of the mint. Place them neatly together in a big salad bowl.
Skin the cucumbers, then cut them the long way – by half and then half again. Each cucumber should be cut into eight long strips. Then line up all the strips against the knife – then let sit. Then set the tip of the knife on the cutting board and use the rest of the knife, using a hinge like movement (see video) to chop. It’s easier this way since it keeps everything in line and you can make precision cuts. Place them neatly together in a big salad bowl.
Next, core out the stem of the tomatoes with the knife. Then cut the tomatoes into thin slices. Then set the tip of the knife on the cutting board and use the rest of the knife, using a hinge like movement (see video) to chop. Place them neatly together in a big salad bowl.
Now, drain the bulgar wheat – and taste the small amount from your finger. The wheat should be soft but not too soft/mushy since it will also soften in the salad. It should have a little bit of a ‘spring to it.’ Place neatly together in a big salad bowl.
Incorporate the cinnamon, cumin, salt, pepper, lemon juice, lime juice and olive oil into the big salad bowl – sprinkling evenly throughout. Carefully fold everything together with a spoon.
Taste and adjust with more lemon juice, olive oil, or salt and pepper as needed.
Optional – refrigerate the salad for at least 1 hour before serving.
Note – quinoa can be used to make gluten-free – but wash very well and/or soak. The husks can be bitter. Since quinoa is so small, you can use cheesecloth if you do not have a fine strainer.
