Tabouli, Taboule or Tabbouleh, is all the same.

It is time to get to know this terrific and tasty side dish.

Taboule is a middle eastern dish that has become part of the American diet. Just as Chinese foods became Americanized, so have middle eastern foods. So to call a particular taboule recipe an authentic middle eastern dish is not exactly accurate. There are regional differences – some use more parsley, some add cucumber and feta cheese. Then there are the non-traditional taboule salads that can have apples an walnuts in them or made with quinoa rather than bulgur.

My favorite version is simple with bulgur, parsley, tomato, olive oil, mint and lemon juice.

Sometimes I’ll make a batch and sit down and eat an entire bowl. I love how this dish makes you feel like you are really doing something good for your body.

Serve taboule as a cold side dish.  This recipe for taboule has a nice balance of traditional flavors.

• 1 cup  bulgur wheat
• 1 cup boiling water
• 1/2 cup  fresh parsley, chopped
• 1/2 cup fresh mint, chopped
• 1 large tomato, peeled, seeded, and diced small
• 1/2 medium onion, diced small
•  1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• pinch of salt
• fresh ground black pepper

Method:

• Place bulgur in a bowl and pour the boiling water over it. Soak bulgur in water for 30 minutes.  The wheat should have absorbed all of the water. If there is any water left, drain and squeeze out as much water as possible.

• Peel, seed, and dice the tomato
• Dice the onion and finely chop the parsley and mint

• Mix the bulgur, tomato, onion, parsley, and mint in a large bowl
• Whisk the olive oil and lemon juice together and pour over the salad
• Season to taste with salt and pepper

Taste and adjust the various ingredients to your taste. More olive oil? More lemon juice? Just be careful not to make the salad too wet. Instead of adding more salt, consider adding feta cheese crumbles.

• Refrigerate for an hour or so to allow the flavors to blend

Optional additions:

• Finely sliced scallions
• Crumbled Feta cheese
• Diced cucumber
• Pitted olives
• Diced green and/or red pepper

Related articles

• Tabbouleh (wino-sapien.blogspot.com)
• A French American Thanksgiving holiday (latartinegourmande.com)
• Tabouli Homemade Recipe (groundtoground.org)
• Parsley’s Goodness Packed in a Salad (sangaaa.wordpress.com)
• Middle Eastern Quinoa Tabbouleh Salad (hiphostessblog.com)