Arabic Tabouleh Salad Recipe

A classic, easy to make Mediterranean parsley salad mixed with cucumber, mint, tomatoes and Bulgar wheat.

The ingredients can be prepared the night before you are expecting guests but never add the vinaigrette until just before serving. It's best to make the vinaigrette before hand as well to allow the flavours to mix, just keep refrigerated until you need it, insha Allah you will taste the difference.

An all time Arabic favourite, so much so that a meza isn't a meza without it ;)

Suitable for vegetarians, paleo diet and enjoyed throughout the year as well as the summer.

Prep Time: 15-20 minutes
By Aziza - Ahlan Wa Sahlan

Ingredients:

4 batches of Parsley chopped very finely. - washed and chopped very finely.
1 bunch of fresh green mint leaves - washed and chopped very finely.
4 medium sized tomatoes - seeded & chopped as fine as possible.
1 batch of green spring onions - Washed & Chopped small
2 tblsp of fine Burghul (fine cracked wheat) - put to soak in 4 tblsp of drinking water until broadened & seperate with your fingers before adding to the salad
4-5 tblsp Quality Olive oil -
2 fresh lemons - squeezed lemon juice
3-4 small fresh cucumbers - washed and diced small
1 ts Salt to taste -
1/2 tsp Sumak or Labenese 7spice -

Instructions:

1. When you rinse the veggies and herbs, it's important to pat dry and leave until completely dry, especially the parsley and mint that are the main ingredients.

2. Cut the stems off the parsley and mint then chop as finely as possible. (This may take some time but it pays off in the end).

3. It's a good idea to then spread the chopped parsley and mint on some paper towels and let rest again for a few mins in order to get rid of the extra moisture released when chopping. Ideally you want the juice in the salad to be mostly from the lemon juice and olive oil, no one wants soggy tabouleh ;)

4. Chop tomatoes into small cubes and drain from water and seeds

5. Finely chop the green spring onions and mix with the sumac or Lebanese 7-spices.

6. Once you are ready to serve, add the lemon juice on top of the broadened Burghul and seperate it slowly with your fingers, then add the olive oil and salt all over the ingredients and mix lightly. Avoid over-mixing so that the greens stay as fresh as possible.

7. Tabbouleh is traditionally served on or beside a bed of lettuce, but feel free to present it however you like.

Tabouli Salad Recipe (Tabbouleh) Recipe

Tabouli salad or Tabbouleh is a simple salad of very finely chopped vegetables, lots of fresh parsley and bulgur wheat, all tossed with lime juice and olive oil.

Prep Time: 20 minsTotal Time: 20 mins
Yield: 6-8
Category: Salad
Cuisine: Middle Eastern

Ingredients

1/2 cup extra fine bulgur wheat
4 firm Roma tomatoes, very finely chopped
1 English cucumber (hothouse cucumber), very finely chopped
2 bunches parsley, part of the stems removed, washed and well-dried, very finely chopped
12-15 fresh mint leaves, stems removed, washed, well-dried, very finely chopped
4 green onions, white and green parts, very finely chopped
Salt
3-4 tbsp lime juice (lemon juice, if you prefer)
3-4 tbsp Early Harvest extra virgin olive oil
Romaine lettuce leaves to serve, optional

Instructions

1. Wash the bulgur wheat and soak it in water for 5-7 minute. Drain very well (squeeze the bulgur wheat by hand to get rid of any excess water). Set aside.
2. Very finely chop the vegetables, herbs and green onions as indicated above. Be sure to place the tomatoes in a colander to drain excess juice.
3. Place the chopped vegetables, herbs and green onions in a mixing bowl or dish. Add the bulgur and season with salt. Mix gently.
4. Now add the the lime juice and olive oil and mix again.
5. For best results, cover the tabouli and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter. If you like, serve the tabouli with a side of pita and romaine lettuce leaves, which act as wraps or “boats” for the tabouli.
6. Other appetizers to serve next to tabouli salad:Hummus; Baba Ganoush; or Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

Notes

• The finer you chop the vegetables, the better. See additional tips above.
• To serve a smaller crowd, simply cut the recipe in half.
• You can keep tabouli refrigerated in a tight-lid container for 2 days or so. It’s important to try and drain some of the juice out before refrigerating leftover tabouli.

Source: The Mediterranean Dish

Fatttush / Mixed Herbs and Toasted Bread Salad Recipe

Serves 6

Fattush is also on its way to becoming a global salad and, as with tabbuleh, the version you are likely to be sold in shops, or served in restaurants or western homes will be quite different from the Lebanese / Syrian Fattuch. Some families make their fattush without lettuce and use the herb leaves whole. Other families add lemon juice and garlic and let the bread soak in the dressing before mixing the salad. In Syria, they fry the bread before mixing it with the salad. This has the advantage of keeping it crisp, but the disadvantage of making the salad rather heavy. I prefer to toast the bread, and I mix it with sumac and olive oil before adding it to the salad to keep the bread crisp. The oil coats the bread and protects it longer from the salad juices.

Ingredients

1 medium pita bread, opened up at the seam to have two disks, toasted until golden brown and broken into bite-sized pieces
3 tbsp Adonis sumac
6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
400 g gem lettuce, outer damaged leaves discarded, cut across in 1 cm strips
100 g springs onions, trimmed and thinly sliced
300 g mini cucumbers, sliced in medium-thin half circles
300 g firm red tomatoes, chopped into bite-sized pieces
200 g flat-leaf parsley (1 bunch), most of the stalks discarded, coarsely chopped
100 g mint (1/2 bunch), leaves only, coarsely chopped
100 g purslane (1/2 bunch), leaves only
Sea salt


Cooking instructions

Put the broken up toasted bread in a medium bowl. Sprinkle the Adonis sumac all over. Add the oil and mix well. This should stop the bread from quickly becoming soggy once it is mixed with the salad.

Put the salad ingredients in a large salad bowl. Add salt to taste. Add the seasoned bread. Mix well. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Serve immediately.