I've made tabouleh many times, especially during the garden season, as I have most the ingredients at my hand. I've followed both the recipes below and have had success. Now I just kinda do my own thing, using may past experiences with other recipes as a guideline.
- My bulgur to liquid ratio is always 1 cup of bulgur to 1 1/2 cups of water
- I always use hot water, although you can use room temperature water to hydrate the bullgur
- I add the bulgier a chopped onion ( usually 1 ) into a bowl with some salt , then add the hot water, mix and cover it. Allow it to stand for about 1/2 to 1 hour until the bulgur is the right consistency.
- I then mix in:
- the lemon juice ( usually 1 lemon),
- a solid 1 - 2 cups of chopped parsley. I personally like the Curley parsley for this cause it kinda 'fluffs ' it up a bit,
- half the amount of chopped mint ( compared to the parsley ),
- 1 pint of grape tomatoes cut in 1/2
- salt to taste
- Olive oil ( aout 1/4 - 1/2 cup), enough to coat the mixture
* I like adding the hot water to the onions and bulgur, cause the hot water kinda of makes the onions less potent
* If , after hydrating the bulgur, onions, there is excess water that hasn't been absorbed, I will put the mixture in a mesh strainer to allow the excess liquid to drain
* I add lemon to taste. most versions add too much lemon for me. Luckily this is the kind of recipe you can add little by little ( of just about all the ingredients) until you aer happy
* sometimes the salt will draw liquid out of the tomatoes , if too much liquid, could strain again
* I personally dont add cucumber, but can be added
*. I've also added feta cheese in the past too
* chopped scallions or chopped small leeks could be added in addition or replacement of the onion
* Ive had versions in restaurants that the parsley was the 'star ingredient '. It was more like a parsley salad
* I personally like the bulgur to dominate, but totally up to you
* Again , this is the type of recipe you can totally personalize to your liking. Add more of what you like, and leave out what you dont like. the most important thing is getting the bulgur/ liquid ratio correct and the bulgur being the right consistency. And like I said, even if you add too much water, just strain it, and if you add to little, add more water, mix , and let it sit a little longer.
Get Tabbouleh Recipe from Food Network
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Looking for a fresh vegan salad? Try this delicious taboule (aka tabouli), packed with herbs, veggies, and Middle Eastern flair.
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