Tabbouleh
Nothing like tabbouleh to give me a hit of nostalgia as it really reminds me of my granddad, who would buy ready-made versions of it at the supermarket. We’d always get the same trio every time: carrottes rappées (carrot salad), celery remoulade, and tabbouleh. There’s nothing fancy about these dishes, but summer meals just weren’t complete without them.
I made this version with a twist. Instead of using the traditional bulgur wheat, I used a blend of quinoa and brown rice – readily available and equally delightful.
With the ingredients, feel free to get creative with fresh herbs like coriander, spring onions, or even our local chillis! But if you can, don’t compromise on good-quality olive oil. It really makes a difference!
THE RECIPE
SERVES 5
Ingredients
120g cooked brown rice or quinoa
1 shallot, finely diced
50g flat leaf parsley or curly parsley
1 cucumber, finely diced
1 medium tomatoes, finely diced
A small bunch of fresh mint, leaves only
Zest of 1 lemon
Dressing
3 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
3 tbsp olive oil
½ tsp sumac
½ tsp cumin powder
1 large pinch of salt
Pinch of pepper
1 garlic, grated
Toppings
2 tbsp pistachios
2 tbsp fresh pomegranate
Directions
Chop the shallots, tomatoes and cucumber, and set them aside.
Blitz mint and parsley (and any other herbs) into rough pieces in food processor. Alternatively, you may roughly chop it with a knife.
Add the chopped vegetables, blitzed herbs, and lemon zest in a medium bowl and mix.
In small bowl, whisk lemon juice, garlic, olive oil, salt, pepper, cumin powder and sumac together. Pour over the vegetables and mix well.
Top with pistachios and fresh pomegranate.
Notes
If you don’t have access to fresh pomegranate, you may use raisins or dried cranberries.
Nutrition
Per serving
Calories: 161kcal
Carbohydrates: 9.6g
Protein: 3.2g
Fat: 12g
Sugar: 2.2g
Sodium: 60.48mg
Fibre: 2.1g