Tabbouleh (Middle Eastern Broken Wheat Salad)
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.
Tabbouleh
Ingredients
- ¾ Cup Bulgar
- 2 Cup Parsley tightly packed
- ½ Cup Mint leaves only
- 3-4 Spring Onions
- 2 Tomatoes medium sized, firm and ripe
- ½ English cucumber
- ⅓ Cup Extra Virgin olive oil
- 3 tbsp Lime juice (adjust as per taste)
- Salt and Pepper according to taste
Instructions
- Rinse Bulgar wheat under cold running water.
- Boil 1½ cup of water and in a large bowl, pour boiling water on Bulgar just enough to cover the Bulgar. Or just cook it according to the package instructions.
- Let it sit covered for 30 minutes until softened.
- In the mean time, prepare the vegetables. To prepare parsley and mint, remove thick stems and then finely chop leaves and the remaining stems. De seed tomatoes and chop into small pieces.
- Chop cucumber and spring onions (both white and green parts) finely. Keep aside
- Drain excess water from Bulgar, if any, and fluff with fork
- In a large bowl, mix bulgar with parsley, mint , cucumber, tomatoes and spring onions.
- Add lime juice and toss to coat. Drizzle olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Stir nicely to combine.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning. Add more lime juice if needed.
- Serve immediately OR store in fridge covered until ready to serve.
- Enjoy !
Tried this recipe Prerna, loved it.. perfect for a summer afternoon. Thanks for sharing..🙂🙂
Thank you so much for trying !