I suppose there were
not a great variety of salads that we ate at home. Usually we had a green salad with the evening
meal and that was that. However at a
barbecue, party or family gathering we always had Tabouli too. This salad is quite well known now, although it
can be spelt in a few different ways e.g. Tabbouleh, تبولة, tabouleh and tabbouli.
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| Fresh Parsley |
To watch a video of my version of Tabouli click on the link below. It is quite an easy salad once you have the ingredients and a great addition to a BBQ or variation to the typical green salad.
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| Tomatoes |
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| Cucumbers |
And please like the video by hitting the 'thumbs up' underneath it on YouTube!
Ii is common in
the deli of the supermarkets and on the menu at various restaurants where it
seems to have moved beyond the realm of just being part of Mediterranean cuisine. But being an old dish popular throughout the Mediterranean
there are a commensurate number of variations of the dish.
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| Ingredients |
So with Tabouli I find that depending on
where you get it or who has made it it can be quite different, from being
almost entirely made up of parsley with a sprinkling of bulgur wheat, tomatoes
and onion to being mostly made of Bulgur with a smattering of the other items
and then whatever in between. I myself
sit more on the side where Bulgur wheat is the star and not the parsley but
don’t get me wrong I still like it with plenty of parsley. A fresh herb in a salad is always great and parsley
is fantastic because not only does it add a lovely fresh flavour but it is a
wonderfully high source of vitamin A.
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| Tabouli (Tabbouleh, تبولة, tabouleh and tabbouli) |
This
refreshing salad has become well known and can be found in kebab shops,
restaurants and even in the deli section of local supermarkets. It can be eaten on its own or as a side dish.
Serves:
6-8
250g/1
cup brown burghul (bulgur) wheat
500
ml/2 cups hot water
2
small onions or 4 spring onions, finely chopped
2
tomatoes, finely diced
½
cup flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
¼
cup olive oil
1-2
lemons, juiced
1
teaspoon salt, or to taste,
pepper,
to taste
Place
bulgur in a large bowl and cover with hot water. Leave to stand for 1-2 hours (depends on
grind of bulgur).
Drain
and squeeze out as much liquid as possible with your hands, then spread out for
a few minutes to dry further on a clean tea towel.
In
a bowl combine the bulgur, onions, tomatoes, parsley, olive oil and lemon.
Season to taste, adding more seasoning, lemon or oil as required. This salad should be distinctly lemony.