Tabbouleh ( also known as tabouleh, tabbouli, or taboulah) is a Middle Eastern vegetarian salad, which is vibrant, fresh and very summery!! It is made mostly of finely chopped parsley, mint, onion, cucumber ,tomato and Bulgar and seasoned with lemon juice and olive oil dressing!!
But, what is Bulgar??
Bulgar is an edible cereal grain made from parboiled, cracked wheat. It should not be confused with ‘Dalia’ which is very common in India and also made from broken wheat, however the major difference between Bulgar and Dalia is , Bulgar is parboiled whereas Dalia is raw wheat.
Bulgar is very tasty and nutritious. It is very quick to make because it is par boiled. Bulgar is a very good source of manganese, magnesium and iron and it is slightly lower in calories than other comparable whole grains, such as brown rice or quinoa. It is not gluten free, but Bulgar can be replaced with Quinoa to make it gluten free.
It is a fiber-rich whole grain and has positive effect on heart health, weight loss, blood sugar control and digestive health. Bulgar is easily available in most super markets.
Few Tips:
- Chop the herbs finely with a very sharp knife. They should be sliced, not crushed.
- Chop other vegetables also very finely to get the right texture of salad.
What will you need :
Parsley : Parsley is the main ingredient in this salad. It is basically a parsley salad. I like to use flat leaf Parsley because it is more flavorful. You can use curly parsley too.
Bulgar: Traditionally Tabbouleh is made with superfine Bulgar, however it is difficult to find in supermarkets. You can use which ever you find easily in the market and cook it according to the package instructions.
Tomatoes and Cucumber : Use fresh, ripe and bright tomatoes. I prefer to de seed the tomatoes otherwise they can be too juicy. You can also remove the seeds from cucumber if they are too big
Mint and Spring onion: Both green and white part of spring onion is used .
Lemon juice and Olive oil : The dressing is simply made of Olive oil and Lime juice. Use freshly squeezed lime juice only and get good quality Extra Virgin Olive oil. It will make all the difference.
