Traditional Tabbouleh | My Paris Kitchen

We made tabbouleh this week at Cook-the-Book-Fridays. This is another raw vegetable dish from My Paris Kitchen by David Lebovitz. He also introduced us to fattoush and celery root salad. Like tasting anything new and unfamiliar, you take a small bite slowly with furrowed brows. Instantly, you know whether you like it or not.

Most of us probably have tabbouleh before, in one form or another. What raises my eyebrows is the amount of parsley David uses. Well, the recipe calls for ten cups of parsley, two cups of fresh mint and three stalks of scallion. I bought one bunch of parsley, without much thoughts. After removing the stems, the amount of tender parsley leaves left was barely enough to make half the recipe. It’s a revelation that it takes five cups of parsley for each tablespoon of bulgar wheat. David claims that this is the authentic traditional Lebanese way of making tabbouleh.

After chopping mounds of parsley, mint and green onions, combine the herbs with softened bulgur and chopped tomatoes. Actually, I don’t mind all the chopping; I love wielding my new Japanese knife and having fun with it. Next, dress the tabbouleh with fresh lemon juice, olive oil, and sprinkles of salt and spice mix (of allspice, cinnamon and black pepper). The salad is done. It’s that simple to make!

The bottom line is — this is a refreshing salad. I see the wisdom of using copious amount of parsley, relative to bulgur. Tabbouleh is all about the fresh herbs and little to do with bulgur wheat. I got it! More greens and less carb; that’d always work for me. We served the tabbouleh with lamb chop and brussels sprouts. They went well together. As it turned out, I could have made the full recipe of tabbouleh. It still wouldn’t be enough.

Key ingredients: parsley, mint, green onion, tomato, bulgur, lemon juice, olive oil and spices.

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Tabbouleh | My Paris Kitchen

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons (20g) fine bulgur
• 2½ tablespoons warm water
• 2 medium firm ripe tomatoes, diced into small cubes
• 3 spring onions or scallions, trimmed and very thinly sliced
• 10 cups (250g) flat-leaf parsley, most of the stalks discarded, leaves washed and dried
• 2 cups (20g) mint leaves, washed and dried, no stems
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice (or Lebanese seven-spice mixture)
• 1/4 teaspoon finely ground black pepper
• salt to taste
• 5 tablespoons (75 ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2/3 cup (150ml) extra virgin olive oil
• 1 to 2 teaspoons pomegranate molasses (optional)
• Romaine lettuce or cabbage leaves, to serve

Instructions

1

Rinse the bulgur in several changes of cold water. Drain well and put in a bowl. Mix the bulgur and the water in a large salad bowl and set aside to plump. Stir it with a fork every now and then to help it fluff up.

2

Halve the tomatoes horizontally and squeeze out the liquid and seeds. Dice the tomatoes and set aside to drain in a colander. Put the diced tomatoes in a bowl and set aside while you prepare the herbs.

3

Chiffonade the parsley and mint leaves by gathering bunches of the herbs in a tight cluster with one hand, and slicing the herbs into thin ribbons with a chef’s knife. (Don’t run your knife over them repeatedly, which will bruise them and make them bitter.) A word of caution: do not chop the herbs with a mandoline. This will only bruise them.

4

Add them to the bowl of bulgur along with the scallions and the drained tomatoes. Sprinkle the bulgur all over. Season with the cinnamon, allspice and pepper. Add salt to taste. Add the lemon juice and olive oil and mix well. Taste and adjust the seasonings if necessary. Toss well and serve with crisp leaves of romaine lettuce or cabbage leave to scoop it up.