Tabbouleh | Healthy Diet

Tabbouleh

A version of the Middle Eastern classic that is hearty enough to be enjoyed on its own or as an accompaniment to an infinite number of dishes.

Healthy Diet

By Healthy Diet

Ingredients

  • 175 g (6 oz/1 cup) of a grain of your choice; traditionally burghul (bulgur) is used but you can usecouscous, quinoa, freekeh, millet or even cauliflower rice
  • 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
  • 2 tablespoons pine nuts
  • 1 small red onion, peeled
  • 1 small red onion, peeled
  • 1 small cucumber
  • 6 small red radishes
  • 50–250 g (3–9 oz/1/2 –1 1/2 cups) cooked chickpeas or ⅓–1 tin, drained and rinsed
  • A handful of mint leaves
  • 3 handfuls of flat-leaf (Italian) parsley
  • Olive oil
  • Sea salt, to taste
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • Seeds of 1/2 pomegranate, to garnish

Method

  1. Cook your grain according to the directions on the packet. While the grain is cooking, place the cumin seeds and pine nuts in a frying pan over a medium heat and toast, stirring frequently, until fragrant and lightly browned. Remove from the heat and set aside.
  2. Finely chop the onion, tomatoes, cucumber and radishes and place in a large bowl with the chickpeas. Finely chop the mint and parsley leaves and add to the bowl. You can leave the fine stalks that join the parsley leaves to the stalk, but remove any strong stalky bits so they don’t poke you in the mouth when you are eating.
  3. When your grain has finished cooking, allow to cool slightly and then pour a splash of olive oil over it and sprinkle with some salt. Fluff the grain with a fork so that the pieces are separated and there are no clumps. Add the grain to the bowl and stir to combine with the herbs and veggies.
  4. Dress with lemon juice and some freshly ground black pepper and stir again, then top with the toasted cumin seeds and pine nuts. Sprinkle over the pomegranate seeds and serve immediately or store in the fridge for up to 3 days.

This recipe is incredibly versatile and there are a million variations. Try spring onions (scallions), chives, basil or coriander (cilantro) for a slightly different flavour. Leave out the radishes or cucumber if you dislike them and experiment with different grains. Toasted, flaked almonds are incredibly delicious sprinkled on top. Chopped avocado works well too.

Recipe taken from:

What to eat in a day - every day by Niomi Smart (HarperCollins)