Tabbouleh
This is not a grain salad; it is a parsley salad seasoned with wheat. Treat your knife as the most important tool here, as bruised herbs will turn the dish bitter and muddy.
Commit to the knife work.
Your herbs must be bone-dry before you start chopping, or you will end up with a clumped paste instead of a crisp salad.
- Chef's knife
- Large wooden cutting board
- Mixing bowl
What goes in.
- 3 cupsflat-leaf parsley, packed tight and stems removed
- 1/2 cupfresh mint leaves
- 1/4 cupfine bulgur wheat
- 3scallions, whites and greens, sliced into thin rings
- 2firm plum tomatoes, seeds removed and diced small
- 1/4 cupextra virgin olive oil
- 1/3 cupfresh lemon juice
- 1 tspfine sea salt
Dry-soaking the bulgur
Do not boil the bulgur. Soak it in the lemon juice and half the olive oil for 20 minutes before adding the herbs; it hydrates the grain with flavor rather than plain water.
The method.
Prepare the grains
Place the dry bulgur in a bowl and pour the lemon juice and half the oil over it. Let it sit while you chop.
Chop the aromatics
Slice the scallions and tomatoes into 1/8-inch pieces. Keep them separate for a moment.
Mince the herbs
Gather the parsley and mint into a tight bundle. Using a sharp knife, slice through once—do not rock the blade back and forth repeatedly, or you will crush the leaves.
Combine
Add the herbs, vegetables, and remaining oil to the bowl with the bulgur. Fold gently with a fork to maintain the airiness of the herbs.
Rest
Let the salad sit for 15 minutes at room temperature before serving so the salt can draw the juice out of the tomatoes.
Other turns to take.
Winter variation
Add a pinch of ground allspice or cinnamon to the soaking bulgur for warmth.
Crunch variant
Include half a peeled cucumber, seeds removed and diced to the same size as the tomatoes.
When it doesn't go to plan.
If the parsley leaves turn dark green or slimy after chopping, your knife was dull.
Never use a food processor for the herbs; it turns them into a wet puree.
Taste the salad just before serving; it likely needs an extra pinch of salt to balance the sharp lemon.
The ones that keep coming up.
Can I make this a day ahead?
The herbs will lose their bright green color and crisp texture if left overnight. It is best eaten within two hours of preparation.
What if my bulgur is still too hard?
Add a tablespoon of cold water to the soaking grain, but do it sparingly so the salad doesn't become soggy.
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