Chive-laced Tabbouleh #CookingWithHerbs

I usually make tabbouleh using just mint and parsley, but there are some beautiful chives in the garden at the moment, so I thought, "Why not?"

There are lots of ways to make tabbouleh. If you eat a really "authentic" version, it will really be a mass of herbs just lightly studded with grains of bulghur wheat. Yet lots of recipes, especially here in the UK, concentrate on the wheat and just use the herbs as a seasoning. I vary it according to my mood, the amount of herbs we have to hand and what the balance of our meal is - if the bulghur is going to be our main source of carbohydrate, I use more of it than if I am serving it as a side salad.

So although I've given a recipe, I've not given quantities of herbs. But however much in total you use, try to keep the relative proportions the same -  roughly 50% parsley, 25% mint and 25% chives.

Ingredients - serves 2 as a main carb, 4-6 as a side salad

75g bulghur wheat
juice of 1 lemon
2 tbs olive oil
large pinch of salt
small wedge of red onion, finely chopped
Parsley, mint and chives - as much as required - see above. Use roughly 50% parsley, 25% mint and 25% chives.

Place the bulghur in a heatproof bowl and cover with a generous quantity of boiling water. Leave to stand for 15 minutes then drain through a fine sieve, pressing down well with a spoon to squeeze out any surplus water. Return to the bowl and, while still hot, stir in the lemon juice, olive oil, salt and red onion. Leave to cool completely.

Now chop the herbs. You can save time by chopping them in a food processor, but the texture will be much nicer if you have the time and patience to chop them by hand. A double bladed hachoir  and some good music on the radio will soon have the job done! I prefer not to chop them too finely to keep a bit of texture in the salad.

When the bulghur is cold, stir in the herbs, season a little more if needed and serve. This can be varied by adding finely diced tomatoes and/or cucumber.



I'm sharing this with Cooking with Herbs at Lavender and Lovage