Tabbouleh Salad—تبولة‎

Tabbouleh, meaning “little spicy” in Arabic, is a bulgur, parsley, mint and tomato salad doused in lemon juice, olive oil and salt. It is served all over the Middle East with slight variations including more or less bulgur and the salad representing a main course or served as part of a mezze.

We’ve already made this salad twice this week. It requires very few ingredients, and ones we always have in the fridge, it’s served very cold which is refreshing in the 80 F weather we’ve been having lately, and it is perfectly lemony. We pair it with chickpea, vegie sliders topped in tehina. It’s the perfect lunch or dinner for the summer.

Quick Trivia: According to good ol’ wikipedia, the largest recorded dish of tabbouleh was created on October 24, 2009 in Beirut and weighed 3557 kg, earning it a Guinness World Record. The record had been previously held by the citizens of Majdal Shams, Israel on March 21, 2008 when they made a bowl of tabbouleh weighing 2170 kg.

Onto more digestible portions.

Serves: 4 hungry people as a side dish

What you need:

3 c parsley; finely chopped

1/2 c mint; finely chopped

1 c green onion; finely chopped

4 tblsp lemon juice

3 tsp olive oil (at least – you can be the judge)

1/2-1 tsp salt (depending on taste; I use just slightly under 1 tsp)

3 tomatoes; insides scooped out and finely diced

1.5 c cooked bulgur (about 1/2 c uncooked)

a few lettuce or cabbage leaves for garnish or for scoopin

How to do it:

Soak the bulgur in water so that the water sits two inches above the bulgur. It will take about 30 minutes until it’s soft, not crunchy at all. Quart the tomato.

Lay each piece flat and, with your knife, slice out the inside.

Lay the meaty part flat and slice it vertically three or four times and dice into small cubes.

Finely, finely, finely dice your herbs and combine with the lemon juice, olive oil, salt and bulgar. Toss several times. Serve over a bed of cabbage or lettuce or encircled by cabbage or lettuce leaves. Let sit on counter tip for 15- 20 minutes before serving. Enjoy!