Tabbouleh is a Middle-Eastern salad that is traditionally made with bulgur wheat and a combination of tomatoes, cucumbers, onion, finely chopped parsley, mint and garlic and seasoned with olive oil, lemon juice, and salt. The bulgar wheat can be substituted with quinoa, pearl barley or couscous for equally good results.
250 ml bulgur wheat
500 ml boiling water
2.5 ml stock powder (beef, chicken or vegetable)
250 g cherry tomatoes, halved
½ medium or a heaped cup cucumber, diced
60 ml spring onion, finely sliced
125 ml fresh parsley, finely chopped
30 ml fresh mint, finely chopped
15 ml fresh basil, finely chopped (optional)
300 g cooked chicken, skinless and boneless(optional)
Dressing
45 ml lemon juice
60 ml olive oil
10 ml crushed garlic
2.5 ml salt and pepper to taste
- To make the bulgur wheat, combine the bulgur wheat, water and stock powder in a saucepan and bring to a boil.
- Lower heat and cook covered for 15 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat and let it stand covered for 5 minutes.
- Transfer the bulgur wheat to a large plate to speed up the cooling process.
- Prepare the salad ingredients, add the chicken and transfer it to large mixing bowl.
- Combine the ingredients for the dressing in a small mixing bowl and whisk to combine. Pour the dressing over the salad ingredients in the bowl and mix well.
- Add bulgur wheat to taste – between 250 ml and 500 ml and mix well.
- Cover the bowl with the lid or cling wrap and chill for at least 1 hour or overnight in the fridge to allow the flavors to blend.
- When ready to serve, transfer the salad to a salad bowl and serve.
Notes
- Substitute the bulgur wheat with pearl barley, couscous or quinoa.
- Pearl barley is barley processed to remove its hull and bran. Although pearl barley is not a wheat product, it does contain gluten. To cook the pearl barley, measure 250 ml pearly barley into a medium saucepan and add 4 cups (1 liter) cold water and 2.5 ml salt or stock powder. Bring it to the boil, turn it down to a simmer and cook for 15 to 20 minutes or until soft. Be careful not to overcook it, as it will become soft and mushy. Drain any excess water and transfer the cooked pearl barley to a large plate and set it aside to cool before mixing it with the salad ingredients.
- Couscous is made from durum wheat semolina. Couscous is therefore not gluten free. To cook couscous, measure 250 ml boiling water with a measuring jug and add 10 ml olive oil and 2.5 ml stock powder of your choice. Pour the liquid into a mixing bowl and add 250 g couscous. Mix well, cover with cling wrap or a lid and set aside for 5 minutes. Fluff the couscous with a fork to ensure that there are no lumps and serve as the starch of a meal.
- Quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) is often thought to be a grain because of it’s cooking characteristics, but it is actually a seed and therefore gluten-free. The protein in quinoa is considered to be a complete protein due to the presence of all 8 essential amino acids. Rinse quinoa before you cook it. It removes its natural coating, called saponin, which can make it taste bitter or soapy. One cup of dried quinoa yields about 3 cups cooked. Cooked quinoa can also be used as the basis for pilafs, salads, breakfast porridges, desserts, etc.