Home-made Tabbouleh, Always a winner!
This tabbouleh is always a winner! Easy to make and absolutely delicious.
Tabbouleh originates from the Eastern Mediterranean area. Traditionally made with bulgur wheat, but some people use semolina instead. It is most often used as part of a mezze, in which multiple small dishes are shared and enjoyed together.
Which bulgur for tabbouleh
Bulgur is mainly made of durum wheat and is parboiled. It is typically available in fine, medium, coarse or extra coarse grinds.
Personally I prefer using the fine grind bulgur for tabbouleh. This bulgur does not need cooking. Normally about 7 – 10 minutes of soaking in double the amount of hot water will be enough. The advantage of soaking is that the bulgur stays firm and doesn’t get mushy. And it soaks up the flavours of the tabbouleh better.
But if you can only get coarse bulgur you will either have to adjust the soaking time, or shortly boil it in water. Check the recommendations on the package, and slightly shorten the timing if you don’t want to end up with mushy bulgur. In my recipe picture I actually used coarse bulgur myself as that was what I had in the house at the moment of making 😉
Herbs in a tabbouleh
A Tabbouleh is all about herbs. In comparison there should be way more herbs used than grains. Of course over time everybody develops their own preference.
The most important herb is parsley. There should be at least triple the amount of parsley than mint (or coriander, if you use). The herbs should be very finely chopped, or use a food processor.
Other ingredients
Tomato is another main ingredient for tabbouleh. It should be very finely diced. The tomato to use should be a hard tomato. Not the nice juicy ones in this case. You can choose to drain the tomatoes after chopping to get rid off most of its juices.
Cucumber is not a traditional ingredients. But nowadays often added because it gives a nice crunch and freshness to the dish.
A good amount of lemon juice is needed in a good tabbouleh. Some people prefer lime juice, or a mixture of the two. A little tip; Before serving squeeze a little extra of lemon or lime juice on top of the tabbouleh.
Tabbouleh is a great salad to play with. Make it a few times and you will find your own preferred proportions of ingredients. Have fun, and most of all ENJOY! Add @haricoco1 to your instagram post, so we can share our personal favourites.
tabbouleh
Ingredients
- 50 gr (1/3 cup) fine bulgur
- 20 gr (1/2 cup) mint leaves, finely chopped
- 75 gr (1 cup) parsley, finely chopped
- juice of 1 large lemon
- 1 small onion, or spring onion, finely chopped
- 2 or 3 hard tomatoes, finely chopped and drained
- 1/3 cucumber, peeled and de-seeded, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- salt
Instructions
- First start with soaking the fine bulgur in double the amount of hot water, leave to soak for approx. 10 minutes (only if you use fine bulgur, if you use coarse bulgur you might want to cook it shortly. Follow instructions on package in that case)
- Very finely chop the mint leaves and parsley. You can use a food processor for this.
- The onion, tomato and cucumber are better chopped with a knife.
- Drain the tomatoes after chopping, and take out the seeded part of the cucumber.
- When the bulgar has soaked, fluff it up using a fork.
- Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl and add the olive oil, salt and almost all lemon juice.
- Chill the tabbouleh minimum 1 hour in the fridge.
- Add the last little bit of lemon juice just before serving, and check your seasoning to see if extra salt is needed.
Notes
You can use lime juice instead of lemon juice, or use a combination of the two. If you like coriander than you can add a little coriander as well. Originally there is no cucumber in a tabbouleh, but i personally like the crunchiness and the freshness it gives. Of course you can chose to leave this out.
For more info on the bulgar, check out my post.
Nutrition Facts
tabbouleh
Serves: 4
|
Amount Per Serving: 1
|
||
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 135.43 kcal | |
| % Daily Value* | ||
| Total Fat 7.34 g | 11.3% | |
| Saturated Fat 1.03 g | 5.2% | |
| Trans Fat | ||
| Cholesterol 0.0 mg | 0 | |
| Sodium 387.97 mg | 16.2% | |
| Total Carbohydrate 16.96 g | 5.7% | |
| Dietary Fiber 4.17 g | 16.7% | |
| Sugars 3.19 g | ||
| Protein 3.37 g | ||
| Vitamin A 13.85 % | Vitamin C 52.39 % | |
| Calcium 5.96 % | Iron 14.15 % | |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Haricoco
This winner-tabbouleh is part of my series; ‘Travels of taste‘. Discover the world with the use of our senses and imaginations. Today we find ourselves around the Mediterranean. If you are ready to imagine yourself travelling around the Mediterranean while sensing its salty air & tasting it delicious foods. Check out my full Mediterranean ‘travels of taste’ post; >>> The Med; Olive oil, herbs & fresh produce.
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