I love this stuff, but have never made it myself. I know the basic ingredients are usually bulgar, parsley, mint, lemon, tomato, but the proportions are important. The web has seemingly thousands of recipes for it, so I turn to the ever-reliable Doper community to part with recipes for this dish.
Proportions are important in achieving specific results, but there is a very wide range of results or styles that I consider acceptable. I love tabbouleh. I think you can start with almost any recipe that includes all the ingredients you mention plus green onions, and then just experiment and adjust to your liking from there. Of course fresh ingredients are essential for maximum deliciousness.
I substitute cucumber for tomato, as I am allergic to tomatoes, but I’ve had a number of people express approval for the change.
So, no recipes from this smarty-pants bunch?
I’m just here to subscribe to get recipes. Carry on, good people!
I do mine kinda free form, but for best taste use fresh homegrown tomatoes, peeled, of course, and add them at the last minute. I don’t like tomatoes after they’ve been refrigerated. I have used canned diced tomatoes when really good fresh tomatoes aren’t available. Fresh chopped cucumber is good, too, as Broomstick said.
Oh, yeah, cucumbers! Of course!
Hmm, what I make doesn’t have a vegetable component.
1 cup bulgur wheat
1.5 cups boiling water
Pour water over wheat, cover and let sit. When it’s all fluffed up, add:
1 large handful of finely chopped parsley
1 small handful of finely chopped mint
1 glug of olive oil
1/2 large lemon’s worth of juice
Salt to taste
I also make a related dish that I call “Greek tabbouleh” which is very, very tasty.
Reconstitute bulgur wheat as above; then add
1 large handful of finely chopped parsley
1 T dry oregano
1 glug olive oil
1 finely chopped plum tomato
4 oz crumbled feta cheese
Salt to taste
Yes, olive oil, salt. I believe that’s it.
bulgur wheat, cooked
fresh parsley, chopped
fresh mint, chopped
fresh cucumbers, peeled, seeded and chopped
fresh tomatoes, seeded and chopped
fresh green onions, chopped
fresh lemon juice
olive oil
salt
All to taste.
Yeah, I’d definitely concasse the tomatoes also. Otherwise, things would get too juicy in there. Well, I think I’ll just wing a batch in the next couple of days. I need to pick up some green onions, but otherwise I’m set.
Soak 1 cup bulgur (whatever grade you like; I like medium) in 2 cups lukewarm water for 30 minutes. Bulgur is already cracked and parboiled, and should not require cooking.
In a large bowl, combine
4 finely chopped tomatoes
2 cups each (or to taste) finely chopped parsley and mint (If you have a food processor or a good sharp knife, throw the stems in, too.)
2 bunches green onions (less if desired), finely chopped.
Drain the bulgur and squeeze out excess liquid (I just use my clean hands). Add to the bowl.
Whisk together
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. salt (or to taste)
Add to the bulgur mixture and toss. Eat now, or chill or let stand at room temperature, and then eat.
I tried this recipe and it was pretty good. I’d probably cut back on the parsley next time. The version with cucumber sounds good, too.