SO FRESH & JUICY TABBOULEH
I first discovered Tabbouleh back in my nursing days when I was working at Mount Sinai Hospital. In the unit I was working in, we had a Lebanese patient that was admitted for a prolonged time due to complications over complications. She was a lovely lady and was admired by the surgical and nursing team for her kindness, strength and perseverance despite all the hurdles she was consistently facing. She also had the most supportive and caring family members. I remember, her sister would sit by her side everyday and every night. It was actually one of my night shift where I tried my first bite of tabbouleh. In the middle of the night while I was charting away, the sister knocked on the nursing station door and brought me a plate of tabbouleh served on top of romain lettuce leaves. I remember thinking ‘what is this? This is so good… I want more but it’s 12AM!’ It was made with so much love and it is still the best tabbouleh I’ve ever eaten.
I was in Dubai 3 years ago for my honeymoon and I remember leaving the airport feeling a a waft of sizzling dry heat over my face. As the heat cools down in the evening, everyone goes outside and you’ll find them chatting and eating away in restaurant patios. On our first night in Dubai, I was quite jet lagged and hungry so we decided to walk around in a local neighbourhood to look for something to eat. We stumbled upon this gem restaurant which served these amazing fresh tabbouleh with pita bread, hummus, and a big glass of freshly squeezed juice. It was so perfect and refreshing to eat in the heat. My husband went nuts about how good it was and we went there again the next day and the next. What a great memory!
If you have never tried tabbouleh, oh you must! It’s so fresh, herby, juicy and slightly crunchy. It’s such an awesome salad to have along with your main dish and it pairs so perfectly with pita bread. Just imagine, tomatoes and a bunch of herbs taking an aromatic bath in lemon juice and olive oil. Well, it’s exactly just that but it’s so delicious! Over the years, I have eaten and made many tabboulehs and I finally created a recipe which takes me back to these two memories.
I hope you will enjoy!
-Ari Yori
TABBOULEH RECIPE
prep time: 20 minutes
portion: 4-5 servings (as a side dish)
INGREDIENTS
2.5 cups (115g or big bundle) flat leaf parsley, chopped
3 roma tomatos, diced
2-3 green onions, thinly sliced
25-30 mint leaves, finely chopped
4-5 shallots, diced (1 medium onion substitute)
1/4 cup (40g) fine bulgur, dry
1/4 cup hot water
1/2 cup (100ml) lemon juice
1/3 cup (70g) extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp pomegranate syrup (optional, highly recommended)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
Serve with pita bread and romain lettuce leaves (optional)
DIRECTIONS
First, prepare your bulgur by adding hot water to the dry bulgur in a small bowl. Cover the bowl with a saucer or a plate and let it sit.
In a large bowl, add the diced shallots and cumin powder and mix well. Let it rest as you cut the rest of your vegetables.
Combine all of the chopped herbs and vegetables into the large bowl with the shallots and mix well.
Add in the bulgur to the large bowl. Your bulgur will be slightly hard and not soggy as it will absorb all the lemon juice later on.
Squeeze your lemons into a small bowl and add pomegranate syrup and mix well. Pour this mixture into the large bowl of tabbouleh.
Drizzle olive oil over the tabbouleh and mix well. Add salt & pepper gradually to your taste.
Let the tabbouleh sit for at least 15-30 minutes before serving for the flavors to seep through. It is best if you let it sit in the fridge overnight.
Enjoy your tabbouleh with your pita bread. You can also add a couple of tablespoons of tabbouleh into a romain lettuce leaf and eat it together. This is delicious and adds a nice crunch!
PRO TIPS
Don’t over soak your bulgur by adding too much water. This will make your tabbouleh soggy. There is plenty of lemon juice and water from the vegetables that the bulgur will soak up.
