Tabbouleh

Growing up in an Armenian family, tabbouleh was a frequent dish on our dinner table. It's a vibrant, refreshing burst of flavor, and for me, it embodies the taste of home, love, and tradition in every spoonful.

Annotated Cooking Notes: This is almost identical to my mom's recipe, but it originates from feelgoodfoodie.net. Yumna, the cook, made some excellent choices. The first is soaking the bulgur in the dressing. While my mom used to soak the wheat in water and prepare the dressing separately, combining them really enhances the flavor.

The second choice was to use scissors instead of a food processor. Although using scissors can be time-consuming, make it easier on yourself by purchasing more parsley than necessary, allowing you to be relaxed and unconcerned.

Ingredients

⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons lemon juice

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon black pepper

¼ cup fine #1 bulgur wheat

3 bunches fresh curly parsley (finely chopped (about 3 packed cups))

2 firm tomatoes (finely chopped)

2 green onions (finely chopped)

¼ cup fresh mint (finely chopped)

Directions.

1. Whisk the olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper in a large bowl until well combined. Stir in the bulgur. Let the grains soak up the dressing until they are plump and most of the moisture is absorbed for about 20 to 30 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, add the parsley, tomatoes, green onions, and mint to one side of the large bowl with the bulgur, but don’t mix yet.

3. When the bulgur is plump, and the lemon-olive oil mixture is mostly absorbed, stir everything together until well combined. Serve at room temperature or chilled from the fridge.