Spring is making itself known and there is a little warmth in the sun now. And that means that there is room for a little salad somewhere on the plate. Or even as a light lunch with a nice bit of crusty bread. I make this fresh n tasty tabbouleh salad a lot at home. The reason, it’s one of the few salads I can get my hubby to eat and actually enjoy! So if a fussy non-salad loving guy loves this salad I am sure you will too.
I hope everyone is managing to stay safe during this terrible health crisis that is affecting us all. No matter where you are in the world, we have all been affected in one way or the other. So, please everyone stay home if you can and stay safe. Hopefully one way or another we can all come together and get this horrible virus beat. But you haven’t come here to hear me blather on, so lets get on with this tabbouleh salad!
Tabbouleh
This salad tabbouleh salad is popular all over the Middle East and can be found in most regions. I tend to favour the Lebanese and Syrian style as they use more parsley than Bulgar wheat. But the ratio’s are pretty flexible and can be changed to suit your personal taste. Also, this recipe comes from one of my all-time favourite cookbooks from Comptoir Libanais I have all three and I use them all the time. I have an ever-growing cookbook collection which centers on the Middle East cuisine. I honestly can’t recommend it enough and it caters to all types of tastes.
But let’s get back to this salad. Its ingredients are just a few perfectly balanced easy to come by items. Lot’s of finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, Bulgar wheat, tomatoes and a few spring onions. Or scallions to my friends outside of the U.K. The dressing is super simple to, a little fresh lemon juice a touch of sugar and a good glug of good quality olive oil.
Salad Season
Like I said it may not be fully salad season yet, but there should always be a little room on your plate for a little salad. And this one is so fresh and all the flavours go perfectly together. It also goes well in a wrap or served as a light lunch with a cheeky crusty roll.
This salad does have a couple of small downsides. It can take quite a bit of time to make, the parsley needs to be finely chopped by hand. Using any kind of mechanical chopper or blender makes the parsley go all mushy. Not pleasant! Secondly, it doesn’t last too much longer than 24 hours, even when kept in the fridge. It does last a little longer if you keep the dressing separate. If I have any leftovers from the night before, I usually just finish them up for lunch the next day. Even with these 2 small downsides, this is a beautiful salad and well worth that little bit of extra effort.
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Fresh n Tasty Tabbouleh Salad
Ingredients
- 55 grams Bulgar wheat (1/4 cup)
- 2 large bunches of flat leaf parsley – finely chopped
- 3 large tomatoes – diced
- 2 spring onions – thinly sliced
- 60 millilitres olive oil (1/4 cup)
- 1/2 lemon juice only
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
Instructions
- Place your Bulgar wheat in a bowl and cover it with warm water. Cover the bowl and leave for 20 minutes to soften.
- Meanwhile, using a sharp knife chop up your parsley as fine as you can. Be careful not to press down on it too much, you don't want to bruise your parsley. Once chopped place it directly into your serving bowl.
- Dice your tomatoes and add into the parsley.
- Slice your spring onions very thinly and also toss them into the parsley.
- In a separate bowl, mix the olive oil, lemon juice along with the sugar. Taste it to see if you need a pinch more sugar.
- Drain the Bulgar wheat if there is any remaining water and toss it into the salad.
- Gently mix the dressing into the salad when you are ready to serve.
- This salad is best eaten on the day of making. If you want to make it in advance then keep the dressing separate if possible. Left overs are edible the next day. Keep in the fridge in an airtight container.
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Ohh I love Tabouleh, your version looks delicious!
I did not like my first taste of tabbouleh when I was a teenager—but I’ve come around since tasting my mom’s recipe decades ago. It’s a summer staple and your recipe looks terrific!
Emma, I love this salad!
Thanks, Emily.
Yum!! I love tabbouleh and with the weather finally getting warmer I’m craving lighter dishes!
Me too Ashley.
I really like tabbouleh, it’s all about those fresh herbs isn’t it? I love how green yours turned out. A perfect dish for the summer.
I love all those fresh herbs, so tasty. Thanks, Caroline.
nice salad , thanks for sharing
Thank you.
Love tabbouleh! Loads of flavor, and so healthy. I’m with Mimi about adding mint — and we have TONS of it in our garden. 🙂
Thanks, John. Mint is a great addition to tabbouleh, I’m so jealous your mint is flourishing in your garden, mine is just waking up from its wintery sleep. It needs at least another month before I can start harvesting from it. Can’t wait though!
Wow Emma, this looks fantastic! I’m with you, Middle Eastern cuisine has really become a favorite of mine over the last few years, and tabbouleh is a particular favorite. I’ve never made it with Bulgar wheat before, and it looks absolutely delicious! Perfect as we usher in spring. I must give your recipe a try!
Thank you, Shannon. I too adore Middle Eastern food it’s just so flavourful and you’re right this is the perfect dish to usher Spring in with.
OMG – you are brilliant! I had completely forgotten about tabbouleh and I have all the Ingredients – parsley and chives (instead of spring onions) in the garden, the cracked wheat in the cupboard, and the rest in the fridge from the farmers market. And it is fully salad season here, Emma – the temperatures will reach 38°C here next week!
Wow I am so jealous of that weather you are having! Glad I reminded you of such a classic salad.
This is really lovely. I love all of the parsley. Sometimes I’ve added mint as well – it makes it extra fresh tasting. Can’t wait till I can get good tomatoes!
Oh I love it with a sprinkle of fresh mint as well. Parsley and mint go so well together.
I adore Middle East cuisine. Your tabbouleh salad looks so FRESH, and tasty…a perfect spring salad.
Thanks, Angie. Middle Eastern food has to be one of my favourite regions for great dishes.
We love tabbouleh as it is a great side dish or main and love it in flat breads with a little hummus. Snowing here again today just like in UK… Hoping Mother nature gets the memo about spring soon.
Its amazing with flatbread’s and hummus, the sun is starting to shine a little here but there is no real heat in it yet. Fingers crossed for a nice summer and I hope your snow goes away soon!