# Give me your tired, your poor....your best tabbouleh recipes

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/give-me-your-tired-your-poor-your-best-tabbouleh-recipes/524958>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [January 14, 2010, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/give-me-your-tired-your-poor-your-best-tabbouleh-recipes/524958 "2010-01-14T18:40:32Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 9\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![lindsaybluth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/90db22/32.png) [@lindsaybluth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lindsaybluth)\
**Post date:** [January 14, 2010, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/give-me-your-tired-your-poor-your-best-tabbouleh-recipes/524958/1 "2010-01-14T18:40:32Z")

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I’ve got the majority of ingredients on hand. Now I want your favorite recipe.

Traditional or non-traditional are all accepted. I have enough that I might make two batches, one late tonight and one tomorrow.

Fire away!

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**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\
**Post date:** [January 14, 2010, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/give-me-your-tired-your-poor-your-best-tabbouleh-recipes/524958/2 "2010-01-14T19:05:37Z")

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My method:

Google standard Tabbouleh recipe.

Remove cumin

Double lemon juice

Add lemon zest until earthlings squinch their cheeks and beg for tzatziki.

Yummy!

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**Author:** ![lindsaybluth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/90db22/32.png) [@lindsaybluth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lindsaybluth)\
**Post date:** [January 14, 2010, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/give-me-your-tired-your-poor-your-best-tabbouleh-recipes/524958/3 "2010-01-14T20:11:26Z")

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Ewww, cumin with fresh veggies? Blorch.

I never even thought of adding zest, that’s fantastic **Trucelt**. I’ll most certainly double the juice as well.

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**Author:** ![emmaliminal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7bcc69/32.png) [@emmaliminal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/emmaliminal)\
**Post date:** [January 14, 2010, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/give-me-your-tired-your-poor-your-best-tabbouleh-recipes/524958/4 "2010-01-14T20:29:40Z")

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I like lots of parsley in mine, and it doesn’t taste right if there’s no fresh mint in there too. And phooey on cumin!

I haven’t made it in a long time (why??), but here’s the recipe I used to use:

[ul]  
[li]1 cup cooked bulgur (or part bulgur and part toasted quinoa)[/li][li]3/4 cup chopped parsley[/li][li]1/4 cup chopped green onions[/li][li]1/4 cup chopped fresh mint[/li][li]1 clove minced or pressed garlic[/li][li]1/4 cup lemon juice[/li][li]1/4 cup olive oil[/li][li]1 tablespoon red wine vinegar[/li][li]1/2 teaspoon each dried basil and oregano[/li][li]2 chopped tomatoes[/li][li]1 chopped yellow, orange, or red sweet pepper[/li][/ul]  
Mix and chill and eat.

(To cook bulgur or quinoa: Combine 2 parts boiling water to 1 part grain and let stand. Drain excess water. Quinoa tastes less bitter if you lightly pan-toast it first, though.)

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**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\
**Post date:** [January 15, 2010, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/give-me-your-tired-your-poor-your-best-tabbouleh-recipes/524958/5 "2010-01-15T00:38:29Z")

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> [@emmaliminal](#):
>
> I like lots of parsley in mine, and it doesn’t taste right if there’s no fresh mint in there too. And phooey on cumin!
> 
> I haven’t made it in a long time (why??), but here’s the recipe I used to use:
> 
> [ul]  
> [li]1 cup cooked bulgur (or part bulgur and part toasted quinoa)[/li][li]3/4 cup chopped parsley[/li][li]1/4 cup chopped green onions[/li][li]1/4 cup chopped fresh mint[/li][li]1 clove minced or pressed garlic[/li][li]1/4 cup lemon juice[/li][li]1/4 cup olive oil[/li][li]1 tablespoon red wine vinegar[/li][li]1/2 teaspoon each dried basil and oregano[/li][li]2 chopped tomatoes[/li][li]1 chopped yellow, orange, or red sweet pepper[/li][/ul]  
> Mix and chill and eat.
> 
> (To cook bulgur or quinoa: Combine 2 parts boiling water to 1 part grain and let stand. Drain excess water. Quinoa tastes less bitter if you lightly pan-toast it first, though.)

Lose the peppers and change the vinegar to apple cider and we are good to go =)

I will have to try it with quinoa. Wonder how it would be with teff…

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**Author:** ![lindsaybluth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/90db22/32.png) [@lindsaybluth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lindsaybluth)\
**Post date:** [January 15, 2010, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/give-me-your-tired-your-poor-your-best-tabbouleh-recipes/524958/6 "2010-01-15T20:33:18Z")

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What will the flavor difference be between apple cider and red wine? I use red wine for salad dressing, but I do love the kick of apple cider. And I think I’ll try it with quinoa.

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**Author:** ![I\_Am\_The\_Lorax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e19adc/32.png) [@I\_Am\_The\_Lorax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Am_The_Lorax)\
**Post date:** [January 15, 2010, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/give-me-your-tired-your-poor-your-best-tabbouleh-recipes/524958/7 "2010-01-15T21:16:59Z")

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This is not standard at all, but it’s tasty and a balanced meal in a bowl (and very colorful and pretty).

approx 2 c. cooked bulgur  
big handful fresh parsley, minced  
little handful fresh mint, minced  
scoop of minced garlic from a jar  
freshly ground black pepper  
olive oil  
lemon juice  
one shredded carrot  
one yellow pepper, diced  
one pint grape tomatoes, quartered  
half a cucumber, diced  
one tiny can chopped black olives, drained  
approx four oz crumbled feta cheese  
two cooked chicken breasts, diced

I always cook the bulgur, mix it with herbs and dress it with olive oil and lemon juice (lots of lemon juice and lots of garlic) and set it in the fridge while I do the chopping.

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**Author:** ![Harriet\_the\_Spry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e56c9b/32.png) [@Harriet\_the\_Spry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harriet_the_Spry)\
**Post date:** [January 15, 2010, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/give-me-your-tired-your-poor-your-best-tabbouleh-recipes/524958/8 "2010-01-15T21:37:44Z")

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Once you have it made, I like to put it in sandwiches on toasted pita bread with Monterray Jack cheese, either slices or tiny cubes. Yum. Now I crave tabbouleh.

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**Author:** ![emmaliminal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7bcc69/32.png) [@emmaliminal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/emmaliminal)\
**Post date:** [January 15, 2010, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/give-me-your-tired-your-poor-your-best-tabbouleh-recipes/524958/9 "2010-01-15T21:43:08Z")

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> [@lindsaybluth](#):
>
> What will the flavor difference be between apple cider and red wine?

Frankly, I think it might be hard to tell the difference in the finished salad, since it’s a small amount compared to the lemon juice (and all the other stuff). Both vinegars are slightly sweet, but not as sweet as for instance balsamic, and both are fruity… it would be the difference between apple juice gone bad and grape juice gone bad, I guess. 🙂
