“If you were leaving for a desert island which three mezes would you take along with you?” The reporter asks. Lebanese cook does not hesitate: “Tabbouleh, tabbouleh and tabbouleh.”
This was on BBC radio the other day while I was about to start making tabbouleh or Kısır as it is said in Turkish. And I do believe that it is one of the easiest and tastiest meze i ever had. Also very healthy as it is cooked with bulgar wheat.
It is one of the dishes my mom used to do for tea when her friends were coming over. In Lebanon, they like it is more like parsley salad. which I quite like as well. Ok, let’s begin then!
What do I need to buy?
- 1 Cup Bulgur Wheat (fine grained you can find two types of bulgur wheat either fine or for rice)
- 1/2 Cup olive oil
- 1/2 Cup lemon juice
- 2 – 3 tsbp of tomato and pepper paste
- Salt and ground black pepper to taste
- 1 cucumber
- 1 bunch flat parsley
- 1 bunch mint
- 5 -6 spring onions
- 2-3 ripe tomatoes finely chopped (optionally peeled)
- pomegranate sauce (optional and could be found in middle eastern shops)
How do I cook it then?
- Cover the wheat in boiling water and let stand for five minutes it will absorb all the water
- mix lemon juice, oil, salt and pepper then add half of it over the wheat.
- Chop the spring onions, parsley, mint, tomatoes and cucumber.
- Mix all the vegetables with bulgur wheat while stirring add the rest of the oil- lemon juice mixture.
- If you can find some pomegranate sauce this is the time to add it. It has a sour taste so It is important not to add a lot if you put lemon juice already.
- Refrigerate few hours but you can have it without refrigerating.
- Tabbouleh is ready, you can have it with some iceberg lettuce a well, enjoy!
The Smallest Kitchen 