This Lebanese cucumber salad called Tabouleh is a cold salad with bulgur and herbs that fits perfectly with any kind of dish! Made with simple ingredients and it is the perfect way to treat yourself with a healthy fix! Plus it's one of the best Vegan middle eastern food.

Vegan middle eastern food

About Lebanese salad recipe

Vegetables have yet to take center stage in the Arabian buffet. One of those is Tabbouleh. It is a Levantine food made of tomatoes, finely chopped parsley, mint with bulgur (or couscous), onion. It is seasoned with olive oil, lemon juice, and salt. This dish is very popular in Arab countries and personally, I've discovered it during my working years in Qatar. Simple, healthy, and low in calories. In Lebanon, they traditionally serve in leaves of lettuce.

Together with the traditional garlic sauce for shawarma, it is one of my favorite side dishes!

History

"Edible herbs known as qaḍb formed an essential part of the Arab diet in the Middle Ages. Dishes like tabbouleh attest to their continued popularity in Middle Eastern cuisine today. Originally from the mountains of Lebanon and Syria. Tabbouleh has become one of the most popular salads in the Middle East. The wheat variety salamouni cultivated in the region around Mount Lebanon, Beqaa Valley, and Baalbek. In the mid-19th century, it was as particularly well-suited for making bulgur, a basic ingredient of tabbouleh.

Tabbouleh and other vegetable-based mezze dishes popular in Syria were mocked by Baghdadi women. (Source Wikipedia)

Chopping - Recipe of Tabbouleh

Tabouleh needs a lot of chopping, that a fact. Before start chopping your ingredients, it advisable to use chilled Veggies. The only difficulty is the chopping. You need to chop them into very thin pieces. Blending the veggies in a blender is not advisable.

Tabouleh Ingredients

Bulgur

Bulgur is a cereal made from oats of several different types of wheat, most often durum wheat. It is a type of dried cracked wheat. It is very common in the cuisines of Europe, the Middle East, and India.

Parsley

Use fresh organic parsley. This recipe has lots of parsley that's why it's so green.

Tomatoes and Cucumbers

It really depends on the country if you will use cucumber. For example, Lebanese insist that in the original Tabouleh there is no cucumber involved.

Fresh mint and fresh onions

Mint gives a fresh flavor to this recipe. Instead of fresh onions, you can use dried ones.

Lemon juice, olive oil, and garlic

You can skip the garlic if you do not like the taste. Use lots of lemon juice and organic olive oil

How to make Lebanese cucumber salad - Step by Step

Step 1: Mix fine Bulgur with warm water and keep aside for 30 minutes.

Step 2: Cut the tomatoes in half, remove the seeds, and cut them into small cubes.

Step 3: Cut the cucumbers in half, remove the seeds, and cut them into small cubes.

Step 4: Wash the parsley and chop it into small pieces.

Step 5: Add Chopped parsley and the rest of the veggies in a bowl and mix well.

Step 6: Add the bulgur and mix again.

Step 7: Add the lemon, salt, pepper, and mix well.

Step 8: Place Tabouleh in the piece of lettuce and serve.

TIPS:

Use fresh crunchy vegetables. This will give you the crunchiness and freshness of the salad.
Prior to using soaked bulgur, drain it very well.
Consume immediately. Do leave it for the next day.
Chop the veggies as small as possible, by hand. Do not blend them and do not use a chopper for vegetables.
Use Vegetables from the fringe.

Serving Suggestions

Tabbouleh is usually accompanied by other Arabic treats. Arabic Hummus - a chickpeas creamy dish, Babaghanoush - an eggplant dish, and Falafel - a chickpeas balls dish. You can also enjoy with a nice Indian dish, Dhal curry

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📖 Recipe

Παραδοσιακό Αραβικό Ταμπουλέ Σαλάτα. maninio.com

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