Taboulah

Recipe 1

From Claudia Roden's 'A New Book of Middle Eastern Food' (Penguin, 1986)

250g flat leaf parsley, wash, dry, remove stalks, chop finely

60g fresh mint, wash, dry, remove stalks, chop finely

60g fine ground cracked wheat - soak in cold water for 10 min, drain and remove excess water

Juice of 2 lemons - or more

250g finely chopped spring onions or 1 large mild onions

Young Cos lettuce leaves to garnish

3 medium tomatoes diced

Salt, pepper & olive oil, all to taste

Put the soaked cracked wheat in a bowl with the lemon juice, salt, pepper olive oil, cover and leave to one side for 30 min. 

In another bowl mix the rest of the ingredients, then gradually add the cracked wheat a little at a time, you should end up with a mostly green salad with some cracked wheat. 

Serve on a flat dish & decorate with the lettuce

The proportions of wheat to greens has changed over the years, less of the former and more of the latter is what you will find in Lebanon today.

 

Recipe 2  

This is my version : 

300g of washed, dried and chopped flat leaf parsley and coriander

100g of soaked ( in cold water) cracked wheat (fine or coarse)

4 finely chopped medium/large tomatoes 

1/2 a red onion chopped finely

Juice of 2 or more lemons

Salt, pepper and olive oil to taste

sliced lemon & olives to garnish

Put the soaked cracked wheat in a bowl with the lemon juice, salt, pepper olive oil, cover and leave to one side for 30 min. 

In another bowl mix the rest of the ingredients, then gradually add the cracked wheat, the more you add of the cracked wheat the more substantial and filling the salad is.

Serve in a bowl garnished with olives and slices of lemon

Note: I use a food processor for chopping everything up, and  I don't bother picking the leaves off the stalks...