Tabbouleh, middle eastern parsley and herb salad

Tabbouleh is a common green parsley salad widely available in the Middle East. The origin is thought to be in Lebanon and Syria, but the Palestinian cuisine has widely adopted it. It is the parsley, the lemon juice and the subtle ground seeds that make this a refreshing salad. There are as always many variations. Here we use green pepper, chick peas and feta. 

The art of making Tabbouleh

It is essential to use fresh herbs and vegetables. Further you need to slice the parsley (leaves and small stems only) very fine. Allow the chick peas to cook and cool down sufficiently. Further best to use your seeds toasted and then freshly ground in a pestle and mortar. The original way is to use flat parsley leaves, but you may equally well use curled parsley leaves. Do not discard the parsley stems! They are a great ingredient in making shrimp bisque and Italian fish soup. You can easily freeze them.

A few comments on our health. When eating this parsley salad, our daily needs for Vitamin K will be many times surpassed. Parsley also is an abundant source of Vitamin A, C and iron.

Special equipment

• pestle and mortar
  

  Tabbouleh, Lebanese parsley and herb salad

  Print Recipe Pin Recipe

  Prep Time 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

  Total Time 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

  Course Dinner, Lunch, Salad

  Cuisine Lebanese

  Ingredients

    

  Ingredients to make the salad

  • 1 bunch (3.5 oz or 100 g) parsley (cleaned and stems removed)
  • 1.1 oz (30 g) chick peas
  • 5.3 oz (150 g) feta (optional)
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 tsp coriander seeds
  • 2 spring onions
  • 2 cloves cloves garlic
  • 1 medium 8 oz (230 g) green pepper
  • l large tomato (optional)
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp pepper
  • 1/2 cup mint (washed and leaves only)
  • 2 tbsp olive oil

  Instructions

   

  Instruction to make the salad

  • Cook the chick peas with sufficient water for about 45-60 min or when ready. Drain and let cool
  • Remove the parsley stems (and reserve for other dishes or freeze them) and wash the leaves and spin dry. Then with a sharp cook's knife slice the leaves very fine
  • Wash and clean the green pepper and slice in 1/10 x 1/10 inch pieces
  • When using: Skin the tomato by immersing in hot water for 2 min and then chilling it in cold water Then dice.
  • Clean and wash the mint leaves and the spring onions. Cut the spring onions in rings.
  • If you use it, cut the feta cheese in cubes
  • Toast the cumin and coriander seeds and grind them in a pestle and mortar. Mix these with the olive oil and let marinade and add the feta when you use it.
  • Press the garlic and prepare the lemon juice
  • Mix all the ingredients and bring to taste with salt and pepper
  • Let work in for 15-60 min before serving

  Notes

  Method: no heat treatment

  Food allergy & intolerance information: none

  Keyword parsley salad, tembouleh

Remarks

1. You may replace the chick peas by pearl barley
2. The salad is best eaten fresh, but left overs can be stored in the fridge for one day