Tabbouleh also known as Tabouli is the most popular Middle Eastern salad. Made with bulgur wheat, herbs, and vegetables, this refreshing vegan salad is a must-try recipe.
One of the most popular Middle Eastern salads which you will find in every Mezze in this part of the world is Tabbouleh and I am sharing its recipe in today's post.
Tabbouleh got its name from the Arabic word 'Taabil' which means to season or spice.
This easy vegan salad is made by mixing cooked bulgur with chopped herbs, cucumber, and tomatoes.
The dressing used in it is very simple, just mix lemon juice, olive oil, and salt. Despite such simple ingredients, it tastes amazing and is one of my favorite salads.
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Origin of Tabbouleh
This recipe is believed to be originally from the mountains between Syria and Lebanon but is now popular not only in the Middle East but in many Western countries too.
It was an essential part of Lebanese meals even in the 5th century.
You will find a variation of this salad in different Middle Eastern countries. Even the Dominican salad- Tipili was introduced to the Dominican Republic by Lebanese immigrants.
Though I tried it many times in restaurants after coming to Dubai, I started noticing and loving Tabbouleh only after trying it at a buffet dinner on a cruise where everything except Tabbouleh, tasted bad :).
There was a time when I ate this salad almost every working day for months. There was a very good salad bar near my office where I used to have my lunch on working days.
It really surprises me to think about what took me so long to try it at home.
Serving suggestions
Serve it as a salad with grilled vegetables or any other dish of your choice.
Create your own tiny maze by serving some simple dishes like Tabbouleh, hummus, falafel, couscous fritters, pita bread.
I love filling it in my falafel wraps or any other wrap and sandwich for that extra crunch and taste.
Tips to make Tabbouleh
- Chop the herbs very finely, you can even use a food processor for doing that. However, don't use a food processor to chop cucumber and tomatoes, chop them finely using a knife.
- Use a firm tomato in this salad.
- Use Persian, English or Japanese variety of cucumber in this salad. You won't need to peel them. But, if you could not find these varieties and using cucumber with thick skin like the Indian variety, peel it before chopping.
- Serve it chilled, it will taste very refreshing.
More vegan salad recipes
If you are looking for more vegan salad recipes then don't miss to check the following easy vegan salad recipes from around the world:
- Vegan quinoa salad (America)
- Peanut salad (India)
- Lentil salad-Mshosh (Armenia)
- Carrot salad (France)
- Carrot salad (Morocco)
- Balela (Middle East)
- Potato salad (Greece)
- Butter bean salad (Lebanon)
- Tomato parsley salad (Middle East)
Step by step photo instructions
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Recipe
Tabbouleh
Ingredients
- 0.5 cup bulgur wheat
- 1.5 cups boiling water
- 4 cups finely chopped parsley use only the leaves and soft stalk
- 0.25 cups finely chopped spring onion both green and white part
- 7-8 chopped fresh mint leaves
- 1 cup finely chopped tomatoes
- 1 cup finely chopped cucumber preferably Persian cucumber
- 4 tbsp lemon juice
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- Salt as per taste
Instructions
- Put bulgar wheat in a bowl and add boiling water to it. Cover the bowl with a lid for 10-15 minutes.
- After 15 minutes, remove the lid, fluff the bulgar wheat with a fork and add all the remaining ingredients.
- Toss well and enjoy this flavorful Middle Eastern salad with grilled vegetables, Hummus, Baba Ganoush, Pita bread or any dish of your choice.
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