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tabbouleh help

post #1 of 9
1/5/03 at 1:56pm
Thread Starter 
I have this bad (or, at least, annoying) habit of looking at too many recipes for basic dishes before I try them. Then I end up combining them in some way that makes sense only to me. :rolleyes: Sometimes this works and sometimes it's a disaster. :eek:
So here's my problem this time: most recipes call for combining the bulgur wheat (for tabbouleh) with hot water (one calls for hot vegetable stock), letting this sit for 15 minutes, 30 minutes or one hour (depending on the recipe). But another calls for combining the bulgar wheat (1 cup) with 1/2 cup lemon juice, 1/3 cup EVO, and 1 cup COLD water and let sit for 30 minutes. Then continue with the rest of the recipe: mint leaves, Italian parsley, garlic, red onion, tomatoes and cucumber. The cold water one just feels more right to me. But, then again, I don't know anything about making tabbouleh. Any suggestions, instructions? :confused:
Emily

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post #2 of 9
1/5/03 at 11:20pm
i know what you mean about different methods of prep for the same dish. from what i recall, the hot water method or stock is what we used at school. my best advice is try them both and go with what works for you.
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post #3 of 9
1/6/03 at 4:44am

Tabbouleh

Phoebe,

There is no write or wrong way to make Tabbouleh. In India it contains whatever vegetables are on hand and since they don't have a lot of refrigerator access it is often served at room temp. I make this dish often in summer and definitely prefer it chilled.

We love sliced ripe olives and diced fresh tomatoes in it and the more onion the better. I often throw together and add a fresh oil and vinegar dressing with Italian seasonings.

Have fun,
Ron--WV--Funbilly
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post #4 of 9
1/6/03 at 4:47am

OOPS!

Can you tell I'm a writer? "No write or wrong way," sorry, I guess it's still too early for me this morning. LOL
Ron--WV--Funbilly
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post #5 of 9
1/6/03 at 6:23am
Best tabbouleh recipe in the world. Fr. Norman is the former Provincial of the Dominican Order Of Preachers on the right side of the country.

Father Norman's Tabbouleh--a Haddad Family Recipe

4 bunches parsley
1 cup fine bulgur wheat
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
Scant teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 Tb salt
1/4 tsp allspice
1 bunch scallions chopped
1 small onion chopped fine
4 medium fresh tomatoes seeded and chopped
1 lb frozen spring peas
1/2 cup fresh mint chopped

Pick the stems off the parsley, wash and spin dry in a salad spinner. Chop finely in a food processor but do not mince. Wet the bulgur in a strainer with water and let the water soak through. Put the bulgur into a bowl and add the olive oil and lemon juice and refrigerate until ready to use- at least a couple of hours. Then add all the other ingredients.
It's not Dairy Queen.
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post #6 of 9
1/6/03 at 10:01am
The soaking temperature and time depend on how processed your wheat is. There are "instant" versions (just as there are of couscous) that take very little time. I'm used to using hot liquid, but the time varies. If you have a package that the wheat came in, that might give you the information you need; if you bought it in bulk, maybe the place where you got it can tell you it it's "instant" or "regular."

In any case, don't stint on the parsley! So many people think this is a starch salad with a few veg thrown in. WRONG! It's a parsley salad with a little wheat. Of course, I love to add other veg too (tomatoes only in season, though), and LOTS of lemon juice and olive oil. TBH's recipe looks yummy, too!
"Notorious stickler" -- The New York Times, January 4, 2004
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post #7 of 9
1/6/03 at 12:32pm
Thread Starter 
I didn't get any responses until after I'd made the tabbouleh, but thanks for the great suggestions. I will be making this dish a lot more in the future.
The cold water was absorbed, but just didn't soften the wheat enough (Suzanne, it was bulk and, I'm guessing, it was regular). So I added some boiling water and after about 15 minutes drained it. So I think I'll stick with hot water in the future. But I also think I may go ahead and put in the EVO and lemon juice at the beginning again, so that the grains soak up those flavours while they soak up the water. I did use lots of parsley (and lots of fresh mint from the garden), but I like the idea of olives too Wolfgang, thanks! And I also want to try adding the Allspice Bighat's recipe includes.

My recipe also called for seeded cucumbers. What does seeding do? Is it necessary?
Emily

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"If you are not killing plants, you are not really stretching yourself as a gardener." -- J. C. Raulston, American Horticulturist
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post #8 of 9
1/6/03 at 6:18pm
Some people burp a lot from eating cucumber seeds. That's one reason to remove them. ;) Also, the interior core where the seeds are can be very wet, so cutting out that part means you'll dilute the dish less.
"Notorious stickler" -- The New York Times, January 4, 2004
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post #9 of 9
1/11/03 at 10:18am
The bulgur brand I buy calls, if I remember well, for 10 mins boiling in water and then sitting until all the water has been absorbed. The recipe I use to make is about like the bighat one, apart from spring peas that are not included. My "personal" touch is a couple of pickled, sweet and sour, German style gherkins (Gewurzgurken) instead of regular cucumbers. Maybe they're not so Middle Eastern, but go wonderfully with Tabbouleh...

Pongi
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