Tabouli

Tabouli salad is the queen of the Lebanese table. Every important dinner my mom threw inadvertently presented Tabouli. My family loves it as well. I make it just about every Sunday. It takes some time to clean and slice the vegetables into small pieces but it is well worth the effort.

First wash the vegetables:

I fill my sink with enough water to cover the parsley. I wash them then lift the parsley, drain and rinse the sink then fill it up a 2nd time. I add about 1 TBSP of vinegar and let the parsley soak in the water/vinegar mixture for 10 min. Then I take them out and lay them out to dry on a kitchen towel.

I do the same with the fresh mint and onions. I simply rinse the tomatoes in water. I measure the Burghul into a bowl, fill it up with water, rinse it. Fill the bowl back up and let the Burghul soak for a few minutes. I then squeeze the water out of it.

When the parsley is dry, I bunch it into small bunches with the leaves on one end. I cut and throw away the long stem except for a short part near the leaves. I then slice them into the smallest pieces I can with a sharp knife and add them to the mixing bowl. I then slice the tomatoes into small pieces and add on top the parlsey, same with the mint and the squeezed Burghul.

I then remove the ends of the green onions and cut them into small pieces as well. I sprinkle salt and pepper on top of the onions and squeeze them together with my hands until a bit juicy. before adding them to the bowl.

Add lemon juice, Extra Virgin olive oil and mix all ingredients together with your clean hands. I usually taste to check if they need salt, lemon or olive oil and add accordingly.

Serve with lettuce on the side and enjoy!