Tabbouleh Salad

The world has finally caught on to the most perfect salad ever created and it’s taking off. However, i’m a purist when it comes to Tabbouleh. Nothing beats the OG Tabbouleh I grew up eating.

Tabbouleh is a parsley salad that is famous all over the Levant region of the Middle East. It’s full of fresh, crisp flat leaf parsley, fresh mint, juicy tomatoes, pungent onions and that crackly bulgur we’ve all grown to love. The dressing is super simple and the staple dressing for all Levant region salads- lemon, olive oil, salt and pepper. Simple yet so complex.

I have legitimately loved this salad since i was a baby. It’s always been MY go to comfort food. It reminds e of being home in Lebanon eating it with crisp lettuce and some grilled meats. I’m also super, duper picky about my tabbouleh. It’s very rare that you’ll see me eating it anywhere in the US outside of my house, my mother’s house or at my aunt’s. That’s it. No one else can make it right.

So here’s my recipe. It’s simple and i hope it becomes a staple in your home like it is in mine. Although this salad is simple, it takes a bit of technique to get it perfectly right so i wanted to share some tips with you that simplify your learning curve!

1. Use flat leaf parsley. The curly leaf doesn’t have the same texture and flavor.

2. Wash and thoroughly dry your parsley. Parsley is always full of sand and dirt when you buy it so it’s super important to clean it well or else you’ll have grains of sand in every bite.

3. After you wash your parsley, split each store bought bunch into two seperate bunches. The smaller your bunch is, the easier it is to work with.

4. When you’re preparing your parsley bunches, make sure to push the leaves all the way to the top and line them all up well with each other so that you can easily chop off the stems and not get too much leaf with it.

5. You want to SHAVE your parsley. The thinner the cut on your parsley, the easier to chew and the better the salad will absorb the rest of the flavors.

6. To achieve the perfect shave to your parsley, hold your fingers in the curled position at the bottoms of the leaves, chop off the stems as close to the leaves as possible and begin to work your fingers down to the ends of the parsley tops while you carefully shave your parsley with a SHARP knife.

7. Dice your tomatoes and onions finely. You don’t want a mince, but you do not want a rough and large dice either.

8. We do not soak our bulgur! We only wash, drain and set aside. You want to maintain the crunch of the bulgur wheat.

9. This salad is best served at room temperature. However you can prep your ingredients up to the day before and keep them in separate containers until you’re ready to mix and serve.

Give this recipe a try! Share your comments and some love. If you make this recipe and share it on social media, tag it with the hashtag #hungrilyhomemaderecipe

Total Time: 35 minutes

Yield: 5-6 servings

Ingredients:

1. 4 bunches of Italian parsley, thinly shaved

2. 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves, thinly shaved
3. 3 large tomatoes, diced into small pieces
4. 4 green onion, finely diced (or 2 bunches of scallions)
5. 1/4 c Bulgur (cracked wheat, the smallest size)
6. 1/2 c lemon juice from fresh squeezed lemons (about 3-4 lemons)
7. 3/4 c extra virgin cold pressed olive oil

8. Salt to taste

 Method

1. Rinse the bulgur, drain and set aside.

2. Bunch your cleaned and dried parsley into 8 small bundles/bunches. You will essentially split each bunch into 2 and secure them with a rubber band. The smaller the bunch, the easier to work with.

3. Shave your parsley and mint by carefully working your fingers back as you use a sharp knife to shave the ends.

2. In a large bowl, add your prepared parsley, mint, diced tomatoes and diced onions

3. Add the lemon juice, olive oil, bulgur, and salt to the bowl and mix well to combine.

4. Tasting is importing for tabbouleh so taste it at this point and season with additional olive oil, lemon juice, or salt to your liking! Enjoy at room temperature with some crisp lettuce!