Tabouleh

You’ve asked and I’ve listened, here is a re-visited post featuring a DKS recipe video filmed by LiveKitchen.tv  with photography by Sarka Babicka, enjoy!

Tabouleh is a salad I can and have eaten daily for weeks at a time with no complaint. My Teta (Lebanese for Nana) was renown for making the most delicious Tabouleh (so is every other Lebanese grandmother)! Living abroad over the last 8 years, I have noticed the western versions use a larger burghul to parsley ratio and resemble more of a couscous salad. Although Teta’s recipe calls for only a minuscule amount of burghul, many of us in the family have chosen to neglect it all together in order to curtail the bloating side effects. Frankly, I love parsley and don’t care much for the burghul. In any case, if you wish to add burghul, then a handful soaked in water for 15 minutes should be sufficient. Do note it’s to be sprinkled like salt. Tabouleh is delicious served alone or as part of a meal; try it with Beer Butt Chicken, Garlic Sauce and Hummus.

DSC 1986 Tabouleh

 

Here’s what you’ll need (serves 4 as a side):

2 large bunches of flat leaf parsley, stems discarded, leaves (about 80 grams) finely chopped

4 spring onions, finely diced

4 plum tomatoes, finely diced

10 fresh leaves of mint, finely chopped

1.5 lemon juiced

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper, to taste

Mixing:

Salt the chopped tomatoes, pepper the chopped onions, add the parsley, lemon juice, olive oil and mix all together. Add more salt and pepper to taste, if needed.

DSC 1975 Tabouleh

DSC 1984 Tabouleh

Garnish with lettuce and dive in, baby….

DSC 1993 Tabouleh

DSC 1990 Tabouleh

P.S- the best part is the dressing… it’s quite common when at home and amongst friends and family to sip the juice from the plate… go on give it a shot… I won’t judge icon smile Tabouleh

Facebook Comments:

23 Responses to “Tabouleh”
  1. Manggy 1 December 2008 at 3:13 am #

    Thank you for sharing this family favorite! It looks so vibrant and healthy :) I didn’t know burghul had that effect though :/

  2. Kristina 1 December 2008 at 5:22 pm #

    Thanks for this delicious post !!

    I myself make tabuleh and like it very much :)

    Yummy ………

  3. khunying 1 December 2008 at 10:00 pm #

    I have to add this to my site. Look so healthy and delicious:). We love your recipes.

  4. Alexander (el Aleman) v. Gimbut 1 December 2008 at 11:19 pm #

    Shukran Bethany,
    How wonderfully simple. I have found that local versions use too much bulgur (usually durum wheat/cracked). I like it with less for texture and flavor reasons and the bloating issue that I never thought about before may have been an instinctive thing… So maybe forget about it altogether. Also – would someone help me out with “Israeli Couscous” version served around here? That’s like bulgur on steroids – eh?
    I love couscous as served in Morocco and Tunesia and have always been fond of tabouleh – but I do not u’stand this large-format grain used in that recipe – not even visually.
    I am NOT trying to be controversial or political here, and it is not the nomenclature, but I cringe every time I see this offshoot.

  5. Alexander (el Aleman) v. Gimbut 1 December 2008 at 11:23 pm #

    Quick addendum – sorry:
    I give the receipe a 5/5 rating. I did/do not see rating option on my IE8.0 browser – elas technology?
    Also want to add that I have never been too shy to sip the juice! Fabulous!!!

  6. mochachocolata rita 2 December 2008 at 10:16 am #

    wow, wouldn’t this be perfect for summer? too bad it is soooo darn hard to find parsley here. can i replace it with corriander? oppps

  7. Shaheen 2 December 2008 at 6:53 pm #

    Beth, I love raw salads and yours looks delicious. But for me tabbouleh is synonymous with cracked wheat. I like the tiny white specs it gives. But coming from you, I know this is a source I can trust! :D

  8. DirtyKitchenSecret 3 December 2008 at 9:31 pm #

    Manggy- Yes it does unfortunately, but it’s still healthy for ya. However, I imagine Quinoa could fill in, without the gluten :)
    Khunying- Thank you so much for your support :)
    Alexander- Tekram :) you seem to know some arabic? Thank you for the rating, I am very flattered :)
    Rita- Sorry to hear you can’t get parsley! not sure bout coriander, never tried it. It would be kind of like a salsa i would imagine… just heavier on the coriander. It’s quite strong, coriander though, might be too overpowering. If you do try it, let me know how it turns out.
    Shaheen- Let me know what you think once you try it this way :)

  9. Global Patriot 4 December 2008 at 2:07 am #

    Wonderful recipe, different than I’m used to seeing in the States, but much lighter, more refreshing and healthier. Thanks!

  10. Jescel 5 December 2008 at 5:02 pm #

    My hubs and I love this salad. We eat this sometimes with pita and hummus – pretty healthy but real good stuff. Though we’re used to the western version with the bulgur in.. what can you say, we don’t know any better.. :o )

  11. Hélène 11 December 2008 at 7:20 pm #

    Thanks for the add on Foodbuzz. I love your blog & lebanese cuisine. I’ll come back for more great recipes.

  12. Peppercorn Press 11 December 2008 at 7:44 pm #

    This is so interesting. I am totally use to the “more” bulghur version and eating as a side salad with a fork. Your all-veggie version, eating as a “bundle” sounds wonderful. Sounds so fresh and good!

  13. zenchef 15 December 2008 at 4:23 am #

    So this is how it’s done!
    Thanks for sharing your family secrets. It looks delicious.

  14. Melissa 29 December 2008 at 4:11 pm #

    Ummm…This looks super yummy.

  15. aksana 1 February 2009 at 8:45 pm #

    haha thank u for clearin it up :D i saw some comments over other sites like they added chicken to the wheat and stuff like this and i was totally shocked cuz it got far from bein a lebanese recipe:) (im lebanese)

  16. jO:C 26 November 2009 at 8:45 pm #

    The parsley I have planted in my new garden is so fresh and desireable that we have decided to add Tabouleh salad to our Thanksgiving menu to enjoy with family and friends, today. Thanks for your post, we are making the juicy dressing now. .. yum!

  17. Elías De La Rosa 1 March 2010 at 10:12 pm #

    Hi to all! I luv the picture where she puts her hands into the bowl full of Tabbouleh! She looks very sexy! I’m from Colombia, but lots of Lebanese people live here… it’s really nice when one of those Leb granmas say ur one of her “favorite kids”…. :-) I am one of those “unhappy children” (yeah, sure!)

    Not only Tabbouleh, but Kibbeh (raw, baked and fried ones), shish barak, grape leaf filled with rice and minced beef, hummus and, of course, Baklava! Wow… that was heaven on earth!

    And, of course, Lebanese women! :-)

  18. Katie 22 May 2011 at 5:40 pm #

    I love Tabbouleh, and I find your recipe is very similar to mine. I am relieved to find someone else who uses the Bulgur very sparingly and prolific amounts of parsley. I am happy if I have some to add a little coriander, but I do agree that using all coriander might be somewhat overpowering. I sometimes use quinoa or even lentils instead of bulgur…. I also soak my bulgur in the seeds and juice from the tomatoes mixed with a little lemon juice and some water. I am so excited to find your blog as I love Lebanese food so much but find it hard to find good authentic recipes. Looking forward to trying these here!

  19. James B 20 March 2012 at 9:41 am #

    Tabouleh is wonderful in the summer in flat bread or pitta breads with grilled lamb from the BBQ!

  20. PF 10 April 2012 at 1:11 pm #

    Years ago a coworker proudly showed me her lunch, which was a lebanese dish she made. I didn’t know what it was. Apparently it was tabouleh… but it was like 70% burghul! I probably offended her, but I insisted that wasn’t tabouleh…

  21. Mark Lovett (@GlobalPatriot) 16 April 2012 at 2:49 am #

    Sometimes the world just needs a great Tabouleh Salad – http://t.co/Qgqn85Tz via@Bethanykd

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