Lebanon · Lebanese cuisine (mezze)
Lebanese tabbouleh
A vibrant, herb-packed salad of finely chopped parsley and mint, ripe tomato and spring onion with just a little fine bulgur, dressed with plenty of lemon juice and olive oil: fresh, sharp and green.
Cookhuddle Editorial Cookhuddle | Lebanon
Editorial selection: recipes cross-checked against several documentary sources. They have not been tested in our kitchen: follow the precautions given and adapt times to your own oven.
Photo: cyclonebill · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Source · cropped
translation Translated from French. Translation by Cookhuddle Editorial. Read the original
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- Servings
- 6
- Preparation
- 40 min
- Cooking
- 0 min
- Resting
- 10 min
- Total
- 50 min
- Difficulty
- Easy
Cuisine / tradition: Lebanese cuisine (mezze) (LB) — declared by the author
- Salad
- Starter
- No cooking
Ingredients
For 6 servings
- 300 g flat-leaf parsley (about 3 bunches), leaves only
- 60 g fine bulgur (No. 1)
- 3 tbsp water, for the bulgur
- 500 g firm ripe tomatoes, finely diced
- 1 bunch spring onions (about 5), finely chopped
- 1/2 bunch fresh mint, leaves only, finely chopped
- 100 ml lemon juice (3 to 4 lemons)
- 100 ml extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp salt, or to taste
- 1 piece romaine lettuce heart, leaves separated, to serve
Method
- Step 1. Put the bulgur in a bowl and sprinkle it with the 3 tablespoons of water and 2 tablespoons of the lemon juice. Mix and leave to soften for 15 minutes; it should absorb the liquid without becoming soft and mushy.⏱ 15 min
- Step 2. Wash the parsley and the mint whole, in several changes of water, and dry them thoroughly in a salad spinner and then on a clean cloth: the leaves must be completely dry.
- Step 3. Chop the parsley very finely with a sharp knife, almost like shredded cabbage, and the mint more finely still. Do not use a food processor, which makes it mushy and watery.
- Step 4. Finely dice the tomatoes into 5 mm cubes, sprinkle with a pinch of the salt and let them drain in a sieve for 5 minutes. Finely chop the spring onions.⏱ 5 min
- Step 5. In a large bowl combine the parsley, mint, spring onions and tomatoes. Add the soaked bulgur.
- Step 6. Dress with the rest of the lemon juice, the olive oil and the salt. Toss well, taste and adjust the lemon and salt so that the salad is bright and balanced. Rest for 10 minutes.⏱ 10 min
- Step 7. Serve with the romaine leaves, to scoop the tabbouleh up like a spoon.
Story and cultural note
Tabbouleh is a Lebanese salad in which parsley is the main ingredient, not the bulgur: the sources put the parsley far ahead, for example 6 cups of chopped parsley to three-quarters of a cup of bulgur, or about a quarter cup of bulgur for 2 to 3 cups of parsley, and warn against recipes with cucumber and large amounts of bulgur. It is chopped by hand, as a food processor makes it mushy, and the parsley is washed before chopping and dried well. It is eaten with romaine or cabbage leaves, or with pita, and often with grilled meats and kibbeh.
Tips for success
Dry the parsley completely before chopping, and chop it with a sharp knife, not a processor. Keep the bulgur to a minimum and soften it in lemon and a little water so that it does not turn mushy. Add the dressing just before serving so that the salad stays crisp. Taste and balance the lemon and salt: tabbouleh should be bright and sharp.
Serving and presentation
Pile the tabbouleh in a shallow bowl with romaine leaves around it, to be used as scoops, and lemon halves on the side. Serve with grilled meats, kibbeh or as part of a mezze.
Diet and allergens
Information declared by the author. CookHuddle does not verify or certify it. If you have an allergy, check the ingredients yourself.
DietVegetarianVeganDairy-freeEgg-freeNut-free
ContainsGluten (cereals)
