Category: Starters

Origin: Lebanon

 

For how many people: 4

Preparation time: 30 min

Cooking time: 0 min

 

Story of the recipe or story of the chef:

Tabbouleh should be the symbol of Lebanon, just like the cedar! A mix of so many ingredients (like the mix of the Lebanese people!) that come together to form an exceptional dish. Nevertheless, there is nothing more offending for a Lebanese person than a bad version of tabbouleh (usually a western take) as there is one and only one way of making tabbouleh, a parsley salad, and that is with lots of parsley, a bit of mint, onions (preferably spring onions), fine bulgur, a pinch of salt and pepper, and quite a bit of lemon juice and the sweet olive oil grown in the soil of the country. All of the ingredients are chopped finely and the tomatoes diced into small cubes. The recipe that follows is tabbouleh my way… everyone has to have their own!

Kamal

 

List of ingredients:

  • 2 bunches of flat leaf parsley (150g each)
  • 1 small bunch of mint (50g)
  • 2 small spring onions
  • 1 large tomato, ripe
  • ¼ cup of fine bulgur (steamed and crushed wheat)
  • 2 lemons, juice
  • 1/3 cup of olive oil
  • Salt and sweet pepper
  • Romaine lettuce or white cabbage leaves (to eat the tabbouleh)

 

Preparation Mode:

1.    Sort the parsley into bunches. Pick the mint leaves.

2.    Wash the parsley, mint, tomato and onions. Leave to dry well.

3.    Wash the bulgur and squeeze out all of the water.

4.    Dice the tomato finely and add to the bulgur.

5.    Chop the parsley finely and then the mint. Add to the bulgur wheat and tomato.

6.    Finish by finely chopping the spring onions, rub them with salt, and pepper and add them to the other ingredients.

7.    To season the tabbouleh, add the lemon juice, olive oil and more salt if necessary. Tabbouleh should have enough sauce without actually drowning in juice. It should be a fresh, zasty salad, but without excesses.

 

My top tips:

Tabbouleh is eaten with romaine lettuce, cabbage, or, even better still, young and fresh vine leaves. A tabbouleh does not go without the other must: a glass of arak, the aniseed alcohol of the country. There is no mezze, festive tables or holidays without tabbouleh. Variations and interpretations are permissible, but for the love of tabbouleh, call them something else…