A sparkling Lebanese Tabbouleh. Finely chopped fresh green parsley and mint are speckled with red diced tomatoes and lemon-soaked bulgur wheat.
I love Lebanese Tabbouleh. It dazzles with colour and zings with flavour. Truly a Parsley Salad, with generous handfuls of finely chopped fresh green parsley the star ingredient.
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Ingredients
- Bulgur wheat.
- Tomatoes.
- Fresh parsley.
- Fresh mint.
- Spring onions (scallions or green onions).
- Lemons.
- Olive Oil.
- Salt.
- Ground black pepper (optional).
See recipe card for quantities.
How to make Authentic Lebanese Tabbouleh
This Lebanese Tabbouleh is simple to put together but be prepared for lots of chopping! For best results you need to chop the fresh herbs by hand. Here's how to make Authentic Lebanese Tabbouleh salad:
- Rinse and soak the bulgur wheat. Rinse ¾ cup fine bulgur wheat a couple of times using cold water. Put the bulgur wheat into a bowl and cover with cold water. Leave to soak for about 45 minutes. Whilst the bulgur wheat is soaking, prepare the other ingredients.
- Dice the tomatoes. Chop 3 tomatoes into small squares.
- Drain the tomatoes. Place the tomatoes in a sieve, and leave to drain over a bowl while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
- Prepare the parsley and mint. Remove the main stems and stalks from 3 bunches of parsley (to give about 2 cups of chopped parsley) and 1 bunch of mint (to give about ¾ cup of chopped mint). Rinse the parsley and mint in cold water.
- Dry the parsley and mint. Remove as much water from the parsley and mint as possible. This makes it easier to chop the herbs and helps prevent the lemon dressing from being diluted. I find that a salad spinner works best for this.
- Chop the parsley and mint. Remove the stems from the parsley and mint and finely chop. I find that it is best to chop the herbs by hand. You may use a food processor, but be careful not to process for too long otherwise the parsley and mint will crush and have a mushy consistency. On the other hand, if chopping by hand be sure to finely chop the herbs. Large pieces of parsley and mint will spoil the texture and flavour of the dish.
- Prepare and chop the spring onions (scallions). Prepare about 6 spring onions (scallions) by chopping off the root end and, if needed removing the outer leaf layer. Rinse under a cold tap. Finely chop the white end of the spring onions so that you have about ½ cup of finely chopped onion.
- Drain bulgur wheat and squeeze out. Check that the bulgur wheat has fully soaked. The bulgur wheat should be chewy but with no hard, gritty bite to it. Drain the bulgur wheat and squeeze it well with your hands to remove all excess water.
- Add lemon juice. Put the squeezed out bulgur wheat into a bowl and add about ½ cup of lemon juice. Leave to soak for 10 minutes.
- Add olive oil. Add ½ cup of olive oil to the bulgur wheat and lemon juice.
- Combine herbs and bulgur wheat. Add the chopped parsley and mint to the bulgar wheat mixture and mix together.
- Mix in tomatoes or serve piled onto bulgur mix. You can serve the Tabbouleh a couple of ways.
- Firstly, you can keep the diced tomatoes separate from the Tabbouleh mix of herbs and bulgur wheat, piling it onto the Tabbouleh mix.
- Secondly, you can mix the tomatoes into the Tabbouleh, as shown in the main picture and below.
Top Tip
- Squeeze as much water as you can from the bulgur wheat to allow it to soak up the lemon juice.
- Don't skip draining the tomatoes. They have an amazing amount of water, which, if not removed, will make the Tabbouleh more watery and dilute the strength of the lemon dressing.
FAQ
Is tabbouleh the same as couscous?
No, tabbouleh salad is traditionally made with bulgur wheat.
More Lebanese Recipes
Lebanese Tabbouleh is typically eaten as part of a selection of dishes known as Meze. Serve it alongside this deliciously rich Vegetarian Lebanese Eggplant Moussaka with Chickpeas, which beautifully balances the fresh lemon taste of this Tabbouleh.
One of the joys of Lebanese dishes is their simplicity. This gently spiced Lebanese Red Lentil Soup is simplicity itself, with the surprise ingredient of butter! Buttery, creamy deliciousness!
📋 Recipe Card
Authentic Lebanese Tabbouleh (Parsley Salad)
A sparkling Lebanese Tabbouleh. Finely chopped fresh green parsley and mint are speckled with red diced tomatoes and lemon-soaked bulghur wheat.
Ingredients
- ¾ cup fine bulgur wheat
- 3 tomatoes
- 2 cups finely chopped parsley 3 large parsley bunches gives about 2 cups of finely chopped parsley (depending on bunch size)
- ¾ cup finely chopped mint 1 large bunch of mint gives about ¾ cup of finely chopped mint
- ½ cup finely chopped spring onion (scallion or green onion) approx 6 green onions
- ½ cup lemon juice juice from about 2 lemons (depending on size)
- salt
Instructions
- Rinse and soak the bulgur wheat. Rinse ¾ cup fine bulgur wheat a couple of times using cold water. Put the bulgur wheat into a bowl and cover with cold water. Leave to soak for about 45 minutes. Whilst the bulgur wheat is soaking, prepare the other ingredients.
- Dice the tomatoes. Chop 3 tomatoes into small squares.
- Drain the tomatoes. Place the tomatoes in a sieve, and leave to drain over a bowl while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
- Prepare the parsley and mint. Remove the main stems and stalks from 3 bunches of parsley (to give about 2 cups of chopped parsley) and 1 bunch of mint (to give about ¾ cup of chopped mint). Rinse the parsley and mint in cold water.
- Dry the parsley and mint. Remove as much water from the parsley and mint as possible. This makes it easier to chop the herbs and helps prevent the lemon dressing from being diluted. I find that a salad spinner works best for this.
- Chop the parsley and mint. Remove the stems from the parsley and mint and finely chop. I find that it is best to chop the herbs by hand. You may use a food processor, but be careful not to process for too long otherwise the parsley and mint will crush and have a mushy consistency. On the other hand, if chopping by hand be sure to finely chop the herbs. Large pieces of parsley and mint will spoil the texture and flavour of the dish.
- Prepare and chop the spring onions (scallions). Prepare about 6 spring onions (scallions) by chopping off the root end and, if needed removing the outer leaf layer. Rinse under a cold tap. Finely chop the white end of the spring onions so that you have about ½ cup of finely chopped onion.
- Drain bulgur wheat and squeeze out. Check that the bulgur wheat has fully soaked. The bulgur wheat should be chewy but with no hard, gritty bite to it. Drain the bulgur wheat and squeeze it well with your hands to remove all excess water.
- Add lemon juice. Put the squeezed out bulgur wheat into a bowl and add about ½ cup of lemon juice. Leave to soak for 10 minutes.
- Add olive oil. Add ½ cup of olive oil to the bulgur wheat and lemon juice.
- Combine herbs and bulgur wheat. Add the chopped parsley and mint to the bulgar wheat mixture and mix together. Season at this stage with salt if you wish to keep the tomatoes separate (see next step).
- Mix in tomatoes or serve piled onto bulgur mix. You can serve the Tabbouleh a couple of ways. Firstly, you can keep the diced tomatoes separate from the Tabbouleh mix of herbs and bulgur wheat, serving the Tabbouleh with the diced tomatoes arranged on top. Alternatively, you can mix the tomatoes into the Tabbouleh, as shown in the photo. Season with salt.
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