Having its origin in Lebanon & Syria, tabouli (tabbouleh) is a vegetarian salad that combines minced herbs and soaked bulgar. It’s popular in mediterranean cuisine & had a surge of popularity in America in the late 1970s and early 80s. I remember my mother making this and thinking it was weird. As an adult, I’m thinking it’s probably pretty good and would be very satisfying. Bulgar is considered an ancient grain – it is made from wheat kernels that have been processed and it is already precooked. It has a nutty, chewy flavor and texture. Don’t confuse it with cracked wheat, which is not processed into bulgar and would add a ton of prep time to your meal. Bulgar can be prepared by pouring over hot water and letting it sit for about 10 minutes. Some recipes have much more parsley than bulgar, but really the choice is yours if you want your tabouli to be more nutty than veggie.

Also worth noting, generally a lemon yields about 3 tablespoons of juice – this recipe calls for juice from 1 1/2 lemons, so that would be 4.5 tablespoons, or 1/4 cup plus 1/2 tablespoon.

Variations – you can add mint leaves, cucumber, garlic, celery leaves, radishes, red chili pepper

Tabouli (very good)

Moisten 1 1/2 c bulgar – set aside at least 15 minu

Process 1 bunch parsley in food processor – fine. Dice 5 tomatoes, 1 bunch green onions. Add juice from 1 1/2 lemon, salt & paprika. Add to bulgar. Mix well, pour 1/4 c olive oil.