Tabbouleh recipe - so fresh, simple, delicious and healthy Mediterranean Salad
Tabbouleh
Parsley, the green specially used for garnish. This was what I knew about parsley. I used to garnish soup and other dishes with parsley which used to be like bunch of green florets. I had never tasted and never thought of eating something made with parsley. I used to think parsley is only for garnishing that's all what thought. When the first time I came to know about flat leaved Italian parsley, I was in confuse that what this little flat leaved stuff that exactly looked like celary, they called it PARSLEY. I thought it was celery first, it exactly looked like celery (chinese celery looks like flat leaved parsley). I was confusion for some time then I tasted it but it tasted like celery, then I realised that there is also parsley that is used to make salad and exactly looks like chinese celery. It was just about flat leaved parsley still in confusion how can people eat something made with only parsley. I had never heard of any dish made with parsley. It was just a garnishing stuff for me. First time I tasted tabbouleh it was perfect and full of flavor. But I didn't know it was made with parsley. When I knew parsley was used to make tabbouleh and it is one of the most famous Arabic salad I took great interest on it.
It starts from process of washing and draining of parsley in a commercial kitchen. Since we need to keep parsley green it is washed in cold water and drained and dried with air cool method. When the parsley is drained and dry it is kept in chiller for later use. The fresh looking washed and dried parsley is chopped finely. It is better to cut smaller as possible.
While cutting parsley it shouldn't be squeezed hard so that we can keep it fresh. The freshness determines the quality of the salad. As I already mentioned the parsley should be fresh. While buying from the grocery store choose fresh parsley. If the larsley is not fresh the salad looks nasty and tastes horrible.
As the parsley is the major ingredient of Tabbouleh, that doesn't mean other ingredients have lesser importance. Every ingredients used in Tabbouleh have very significant role in making it most loved Arabic Salad. You need fresh and hard red tomatoes so that yu can chop it easily. The size of tomatoes should be bigger to make easy chopping. While chopping tomatoes it shouldn't be mashed, should be finely chopped. White onion is also used in Tabbouleh. Onion also should be finely chopped. Smaller the size of onion better the salad becomes.
Burgul (Cracked wheat) is also used in the salad. It should be soaked in water before use other wise it will be like sand in your salad. Fresh mint leaves adds flavor in the salad. Fresh lemon juice is also the must ingredient in Tabbouleh.
WHAT IS TABBOULEH?
If you are new with the term Tabbouleh then you will be wondering like me before. It's classic dish from the Middle Eastern and Mediterranean Cuisines prepared primarily from parsley aka Italian flat leaved parsley, chopped tomatoes and onion, mint leaves,lemon juice and cracked wheat. Various contries add in their own ingredients like pomegranate sauce, chopped green apple and pomegranate seeds etc. Nowadays you can buy a variations in any American grocery store or online store like amazon.com.
HOMEMADE TABBOULEH INGREDIENTS:
You will need following ingredients to make Tabbouleh in your home. Enjoy your fresh homemade salad.
Parsley: I recommend fresh parsley that is perfect for fresh looking tabbouleh. Flat leaved Italian parsley is used in Tabbouleh.
Tomatoes: Choose red, fresh, hard and bigger tomatoes for tabbouleh. Soft tomatoes could be mashed while chopping. Red tomatoes gives perfect texture of salad.
Onion: Choose fresh white onion and don't use onion more.
Lemon juice: Fresh lemon juice is the most in tabbouleh. Here some prefer more lemon. But I suggest to use as per your taste.
Burgul: Choose best quality cracked wheat and soak in water before use. Use yellowish shiny burgul rather than dark one.
Mint: Use fresh mint leaves or use dried mint if you like.
Olive oil: Add some olive oil in tabbouleh while preparation then drizzle extra on top for serving with tomatoes and lemon wedge.
Pomegranate sauce: optional
Green Apple: optional
Pomegranate seeds: optional garnish
Salt and pepper : Add salt and pepper as per taste. You can use both table salt and fine sea salt.
It is Lebanese style Tabbouleh so other ingredients not used in Lebanese style are optional.
HOW TO MAKE TABBOULEH?
To make this tabbouleh I suggest to use fresh parsley so that salad looks fresh & green. You should have good knife skill if you want to make best tabbouleh. First wash and rinse parsley and drain the water. Let it dry for some time, if the parsley is not dry it will mash while chopping and also need to drain again. If you make tabboueh with wet parsley the salad becomes too much watery and loses taste and texture. Just before chopping parsley soak cracked wheat in water. Now chop the parsley as fine as possible.
Some chefs prefers fine as hair parsley for tabbouleh. At least the parsley must be fine as possible. Keep the parsley aside and make sure it is completely dry. Now chop the tomatoes as I mentioned tomatoes should be fresh, hard and red for the best result. Keep the chopped tomatoes in a strainer so that all the juice is separate from.the tomatoes. Now chop the onion as fine as possible. I already mentioned don't put too much onion in the salad. Any salad requires less amount of onion. Now chop some fresh mint leaves. Now take a mixing bowl and add parsley, onion, cracked wheat, chopped tomatoes, lemon juice, olive oil, chopped mint leaves, salt and pepper then mix well. Taste and add some olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper if required.
Now tabbouleh is ready, pit it in a serving plate, take some fresh young romaine lettuce leaves and place it in serving plate below the salad as garnish, add chopped tomatoes atop drizzle some olive oil over it, place a lemon wedge and serve it. As I mentioned above this recipe is Leabnese Style you can add chopped green apple, pomegranate sauce and pomegranate seeds also if you prefer.
Tabbouleh Recipe
TABBOULEH
Prep. Time: 10 MINUTES Yield: 6-8 SERVINGS
DESCRIPTION:
This homemade tabbouleh recipe is quick and simple to make, and tastes so fresh, flavorful, delicious and healthy as well.
INGREDIENTS:
3 tablespoon (30g) fine burgul (cracked wheat) soaked in water
6 medium (300g) firm ripe tomatoes, diced into small cubes, water removed
1 medium (60gm) white onion
2 bunch (600 gm) flat-leaf parsley,hard stalks discarded, washed and dried
1 small bunch (10gm) mint leaves, washed and dried, no stems, chopped.
salt and pepper as per taste
100 ml lemon juice or as per taste
150 ml extra virgin olive oil
A bunch of fresh young lettuce leaves , washed
20 ml Pomegranate sauce optional
2 green apple choped optional
20 gm Pomegranate seeds optional
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Wash the burgul and soak in water.
2. Take a razor-sharp knife, grab as much of the parsley and cut them very fine to end up with nice, crisp and thin strips. Keep in mind the parsley should be fine as possible and shouldnot be mashed or bruised. Also chop the fresh mint leaves also.
3. Chop the tomatoes, drain the juice and keep aside. Chop the onion also and keep aside.
4. Now mix all ingredients chopped parsley, more of chopped tomatoes, chopped onion, burgul, chopped mint leaves, lemon juice, olive oil , salt and pepper in a large bowl and mix well. Finally taste and adjust the seasonings if necessary. Serve immediately with the fresh young lettuce, chopped tomatoes and olive oil atop and a lemon wedges aside. You can add pomegranate sauce and seeds and chopped green apple if you like.
#Tips:
#Use fresh green parsley washed and dry.
# Chop the tomatoes and drain juices out.
# Use firm ripe tomatoes and bigger in size.
#Use razor-sharp knife for chopping task.
# Use more tomatoes, olive oil and lemon juice if you like.
# Use less onion and serve immediately.
 |
| Tabbouleh by cyclonebill • CC BY-SA 2.0 |
Parsley, the green specially used for garnish. This was what I knew about parsley. I used to garnish soup and other dishes with parsley which used to be like bunch of green florets. I had never tasted and never thought of eating something made with parsley. I used to think parsley is only for garnishing that's all what thought. When the first time I came to know about flat leaved Italian parsley, I was in confuse that what this little flat leaved stuff that exactly looked like celary, they called it PARSLEY. I thought it was celery first, it exactly looked like celery (chinese celery looks like flat leaved parsley). I was confusion for some time then I tasted it but it tasted like celery, then I realised that there is also parsley that is used to make salad and exactly looks like chinese celery. It was just about flat leaved parsley still in confusion how can people eat something made with only parsley. I had never heard of any dish made with parsley. It was just a garnishing stuff for me. First time I tasted tabbouleh it was perfect and full of flavor. But I didn't know it was made with parsley. When I knew parsley was used to make tabbouleh and it is one of the most famous Arabic salad I took great interest on it.
It starts from process of washing and draining of parsley in a commercial kitchen. Since we need to keep parsley green it is washed in cold water and drained and dried with air cool method. When the parsley is drained and dry it is kept in chiller for later use. The fresh looking washed and dried parsley is chopped finely. It is better to cut smaller as possible.
While cutting parsley it shouldn't be squeezed hard so that we can keep it fresh. The freshness determines the quality of the salad. As I already mentioned the parsley should be fresh. While buying from the grocery store choose fresh parsley. If the larsley is not fresh the salad looks nasty and tastes horrible.
As the parsley is the major ingredient of Tabbouleh, that doesn't mean other ingredients have lesser importance. Every ingredients used in Tabbouleh have very significant role in making it most loved Arabic Salad. You need fresh and hard red tomatoes so that yu can chop it easily. The size of tomatoes should be bigger to make easy chopping. While chopping tomatoes it shouldn't be mashed, should be finely chopped. White onion is also used in Tabbouleh. Onion also should be finely chopped. Smaller the size of onion better the salad becomes.
Burgul (Cracked wheat) is also used in the salad. It should be soaked in water before use other wise it will be like sand in your salad. Fresh mint leaves adds flavor in the salad. Fresh lemon juice is also the must ingredient in Tabbouleh.
WHAT IS TABBOULEH?
If you are new with the term Tabbouleh then you will be wondering like me before. It's classic dish from the Middle Eastern and Mediterranean Cuisines prepared primarily from parsley aka Italian flat leaved parsley, chopped tomatoes and onion, mint leaves,lemon juice and cracked wheat. Various contries add in their own ingredients like pomegranate sauce, chopped green apple and pomegranate seeds etc. Nowadays you can buy a variations in any American grocery store or online store like amazon.com.
HOMEMADE TABBOULEH INGREDIENTS:
You will need following ingredients to make Tabbouleh in your home. Enjoy your fresh homemade salad.
Parsley: I recommend fresh parsley that is perfect for fresh looking tabbouleh. Flat leaved Italian parsley is used in Tabbouleh.
Tomatoes: Choose red, fresh, hard and bigger tomatoes for tabbouleh. Soft tomatoes could be mashed while chopping. Red tomatoes gives perfect texture of salad.
Onion: Choose fresh white onion and don't use onion more.
Lemon juice: Fresh lemon juice is the most in tabbouleh. Here some prefer more lemon. But I suggest to use as per your taste.
Burgul: Choose best quality cracked wheat and soak in water before use. Use yellowish shiny burgul rather than dark one.
Mint: Use fresh mint leaves or use dried mint if you like.
Olive oil: Add some olive oil in tabbouleh while preparation then drizzle extra on top for serving with tomatoes and lemon wedge.
Pomegranate sauce: optional
Green Apple: optional
Pomegranate seeds: optional garnish
Salt and pepper : Add salt and pepper as per taste. You can use both table salt and fine sea salt.
It is Lebanese style Tabbouleh so other ingredients not used in Lebanese style are optional.
HOW TO MAKE TABBOULEH?
To make this tabbouleh I suggest to use fresh parsley so that salad looks fresh & green. You should have good knife skill if you want to make best tabbouleh. First wash and rinse parsley and drain the water. Let it dry for some time, if the parsley is not dry it will mash while chopping and also need to drain again. If you make tabboueh with wet parsley the salad becomes too much watery and loses taste and texture. Just before chopping parsley soak cracked wheat in water. Now chop the parsley as fine as possible.
Some chefs prefers fine as hair parsley for tabbouleh. At least the parsley must be fine as possible. Keep the parsley aside and make sure it is completely dry. Now chop the tomatoes as I mentioned tomatoes should be fresh, hard and red for the best result. Keep the chopped tomatoes in a strainer so that all the juice is separate from.the tomatoes. Now chop the onion as fine as possible. I already mentioned don't put too much onion in the salad. Any salad requires less amount of onion. Now chop some fresh mint leaves. Now take a mixing bowl and add parsley, onion, cracked wheat, chopped tomatoes, lemon juice, olive oil, chopped mint leaves, salt and pepper then mix well. Taste and add some olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper if required.
Now tabbouleh is ready, pit it in a serving plate, take some fresh young romaine lettuce leaves and place it in serving plate below the salad as garnish, add chopped tomatoes atop drizzle some olive oil over it, place a lemon wedge and serve it. As I mentioned above this recipe is Leabnese Style you can add chopped green apple, pomegranate sauce and pomegranate seeds also if you prefer.
Tabbouleh Recipe
TABBOULEH
Prep. Time: 10 MINUTES Yield: 6-8 SERVINGS
DESCRIPTION:
This homemade tabbouleh recipe is quick and simple to make, and tastes so fresh, flavorful, delicious and healthy as well.
INGREDIENTS:
3 tablespoon (30g) fine burgul (cracked wheat) soaked in water
6 medium (300g) firm ripe tomatoes, diced into small cubes, water removed
1 medium (60gm) white onion
2 bunch (600 gm) flat-leaf parsley,hard stalks discarded, washed and dried
1 small bunch (10gm) mint leaves, washed and dried, no stems, chopped.
salt and pepper as per taste
100 ml lemon juice or as per taste
150 ml extra virgin olive oil
A bunch of fresh young lettuce leaves , washed
20 ml Pomegranate sauce optional
2 green apple choped optional
20 gm Pomegranate seeds optional
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Wash the burgul and soak in water.
2. Take a razor-sharp knife, grab as much of the parsley and cut them very fine to end up with nice, crisp and thin strips. Keep in mind the parsley should be fine as possible and shouldnot be mashed or bruised. Also chop the fresh mint leaves also.
3. Chop the tomatoes, drain the juice and keep aside. Chop the onion also and keep aside.
4. Now mix all ingredients chopped parsley, more of chopped tomatoes, chopped onion, burgul, chopped mint leaves, lemon juice, olive oil , salt and pepper in a large bowl and mix well. Finally taste and adjust the seasonings if necessary. Serve immediately with the fresh young lettuce, chopped tomatoes and olive oil atop and a lemon wedges aside. You can add pomegranate sauce and seeds and chopped green apple if you like.
#Tips:
#Use fresh green parsley washed and dry.
# Chop the tomatoes and drain juices out.
# Use firm ripe tomatoes and bigger in size.
#Use razor-sharp knife for chopping task.
# Use more tomatoes, olive oil and lemon juice if you like.
# Use less onion and serve immediately.
