I sat down to write down this recipe and all I could think about is the Go Remy tabbouleh song from the early 2000’s — “Tabbouleh, Tabbouleh, Tabbouleh….makes me shake shake shake my booty”
Everyone makes tabbouleh a little different — here’s how my cousin Nora taught me how to make it and this is my favorite version of it!
Ingredients
1/2 cup Bulgur Wheat (#1 size or the smallest size bulgur)
1 cup lemon juice
1 tsp pomegranate molasses
4 bunches parsley*
1 small bunch fresh mint
1-2 tomatoes
1 Persian cucumber
1/4 red onion
1/2 lemon
1-2 sprigs green onion
Salt, to taste
1 lemon, squeezed
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp pomegranate molasses
*I love using a mix of curly and flat leaf parsley. 1 bunch of chopped curly parsley always looks like so much more than its flat counterpart. Makes for a prettier salad, if you ask me.
While most people soak their bulgur in water, my cousin taught me to soak it in the lemon juice and pomegranate molasses for added flavor. Simply pour the lemon juice and molasses over the bulgur, mix, and allow it to sit for 30 minutes or until all the liquid is fully absorbed.
Thoroughly wash and dry parsley. Wet parsley makes for a mushy tabbouleh and you definitely don’t want that. Finely chop and set aside.
Chop all the vegetables and mint very finely. For the tomatoes, I try to pick tomatoes that aren’t toooo juicy and I use the outer part of the tomato, avoiding all the seeds and mushy insides.This will help keep the tabbouleh from getting too wet. For the lemon, I love to use organic lemons so I can chop up the lemon, skin and all, and enjoy its extra added tangy flavor. Add veggies and herbs to the chopped parsley. Add bulgur. Mix.
Add salt, olive oil, lemon juice, and pomegranate molasses. Mix and enjoy!
NOTE: Tabbouleh is a great salad to make in advance or use for meal prep — just hold the dressing and keep it in a separate container until you’re ready to enjoy the salad.
Sahtain!