Tabbouleh
I have seen almost as many variations on the spelling as I have with the quantity and types of ingredients used. You say tabouli, I say tabboulé. I’ll defer to Wikipedia and call it tabbouleh (even though it has three different spellings listed–tabbouleh, tabouleh, and tabouli). I tend to spell it tabboulé or taboulé, but that’s because I learned this recipe in France and spell it the French way.
This Mid-Eastern/Lebanese dish can be greatly varied and is a wonderful and easy dish to prepare for vegetarians (or vegans). Most tabbouleh recipes start with a central core group of ingredients: parsley, mint, tomato, onion, lemon juice, olive oil and various seasonings all mixed with a grain, usually bulgur or couscous. Recipes vary wildly as to the quantities of ingredients, showcasing some flavors and minimizing others. Some recipes seem to be mostly parsley while others have much more grain. This recipe, as you can tell by the photos, is the latter variety.
Tabbouleh
I have always favored this as a couscous based dish that can be served along side other mid-eastern style foods. The couscous helps give a base for the other flavors to mingle. Many parsley heavy recipes overwhelm the palate camouflaging other flavors. (I have had some delicious versions of both, so feel free to increase the amount of parsley and decrease the quantity of couscous to suit your liking.)
Ingredients
10 oz dry couscous
4 to 5 roma tomatoes, diced
1/2 English cucumber, diced (these are the longer ones that are normally wrapped in plastic to prevent moisture loss)
1 red onion, minced
1 clove of garlic, minced
4 lemons, juiced
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 bunch of parsley (flat-leaf), minced
1 small bunch of mint, minced
salt and pepper
Directions
1. Cook the couscous according to the directions on the packet and allow to cool to room temperature while dicing/mincing/preparing the rest of the ingredients.
2. Combine everything in a large bowl and mix well. Serve chilled or at room temperature. (The tomatoes can be added before serving.)
Tabbouleh
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