The Best Tabbouleh Recipe Ever
When it comes to the kitchen and delicious recipes, my mom knows what’s up. She’s such a good cook. If it wasn’t for her, I would not have known how to take on the delicious traditional family recipes. I still have a long way to go to learn the more complex recipes. The thing is, you have to stand next to her if you want to learn a recipe because when it comes to measurements, she’s a master at eyeballing everything. Maybe she does it on purpose so we don’t go off giving her secret recipes away (like what I’m doing now) - lol. So, her tabbouleh is to die for. Once you have her tabbouleh you cannot have any other. It’s the perfect balance of salty and zingy. Besides Middle Eastern restaurants, you’ll find this dish anywhere these days - Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, etc. Believe me, it’s not the same taste. It has to be juicy and sufficiently seasoned with fresh lemon juice, salt and olive oil. And, it’s best if leftover in the fridge for a few hours so that all the flavors blend together well. And, remember, the star of this salad is the parsley. And, that is curly parsley. There are so many variations (cucumber, garlic, mint, quinoa, etc.) nowadays but this is the traditional way of making it. Ok, enough chit-chatting and let’s get you to learning how to put this yummy recipe together.
Please note a couple of key points: be sure the parsley is fully dried and chop everything very finely by hand and avoid the food processor as it will wilt the parsley and leave a metal taste to the recipe. Also, don’t overdo any of the seasonings until after the salad has sat in the fridge for a while. Also, the bulgur size has to be #1 and Amazon seems to carry some of the known brands (check it out here).
INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup fine bulgur wheat (labeled #1) - see here
Juice of 3 medium lemons, to taste
3 bunches of finely chopped fresh curly parsley (only leaves and no stems)
4 medium ripe tomatoes on the vine preferably, finely chopped
1 medium finely chopped onion
1 tablespoon pink Himalayan salt, to taste
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
A dash of cayenne pepper
A dash of chili powder
PREPARATION:
Place the bulgur in a bowl and pour the fresh lemon juice over it. Let it soak while you chop the rest of the ingredients.
Finely chop (by hand) the curly parsley, tomatoes, and onion and add to a large mixing bowl.
Add the soaked bulgur and lemon juice mixture to the parsley mix.
Add the olive oil, salt, cayenne pepper and toss to combine everything.
Taste, and adjust if necessary.
Chill for a few hours in the fridge for all the flavors to sit and blend together.
Prior to serving, taste and adjust the lemon juice or salt if necessary.
Gluten-free option: substitute the bulgur with quinoa.
If you happen to make it, please share with me below and let me know your thoughts.
xo,
Salpie
