Lebanese Tabbouleh Recipe
I have to confess something…. I’m not much of a salad lover! I never have been, but there is a special quality in this Lebanese Tabbouleh recipe that is incredibly addictive!
Tabbouleh is an appetizer that you can enjoy, either with lettuce leaves or on its own. It is very popular throughout the Arab world, but what I will show you in this post is the Lebanese version.
This Lebanese tabbouleh recipe combines bulgur wheat, fresh mint, parsley, tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, Lebanese 7 spice, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper, and cumin powder.
Bulgur wheat is easily available worldwide and comes from several different what species, most often Durum wheat.
You can purchase Lebanese 7 spice from well-known retailers such as Amazon (which is where I bought mine). If you can’t find it, why not try making it at home?
Just combine ground cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, fenugreek, allspice, pepper, and cloves in a bowl and you’ve got yourself an incredible blend!
Tips:
- Sprinkle some sumac over the tabbouleh for some extra tanginess
- Are you a fan of feta? If so, crumble some creamy goat’s cheese and mix it in the salad!
- In need of some extra protein? This dish is otherwise vegan, but feel free to add some Moroccan chicken to level up!
This dish really calls for fresh, high quality ingredients so please go the extra mile to source the herbs and produce.
All ingredients except for the spices and wheat must be finely chopped to avoid large and unpleasant chunks of food like parsley and onions which can be quite bitter.
The key is to go easy on the spices. As there are so many ingredients, you don’t want to overpower the flavors by adding way to much 7 spice or cumin.
Cooking the bulgur wheat takes no longer than 15 minutes. It is similar to quinoa where you simmer it on the stove top with water after bringing it to a boil.
Lebanese Tabbouleh Recipe
Ingredients
- 1½ cups bulgur wheat
- 1½ cups water
- 1 cup fresh chopped parsley
- ⅓ cup fresh chopped mint
- ¼ cup finely diced tomatoes
- ¼ cup finely diced cucumbers
- ¼ cup finely chopped red onions *or scallions
- 2 tsp seven spice
- 1 tsp cumin
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- ¼ tsp sumac
- ½ tsp black pepper
- *salt to taste
Instructions
- Pour the bulgur wheat into a saucepan and cover with water. Place on the stove at high heat and bring to a boil.
- Once the water is boiling, lower the heat and cover with a lid. Let the wheat simmer for 12 minutes.
- Once the wheat is cooked, fluff up with a fork and set aside.
- Finely chop the parsley, mint, tomatoes, onions, and cucumbers. Add the ingredients to the bulgur wheat.
- Squeeze over the lemon juice, drizzle over the oil, and sprinkle the spices along with the sumac.
- Add salt to taste and mix well. Taste as you go and see if you need to tweak some spices.
- Enjoy the tabbouleh!
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