RECIPE | Tabbouleh

Traditional tabbouleh is made with a generous helping of chopped parsley and varying, smaller amounts of burghul, a Persian word meaning 'bruised grain'.

Burghul is a wheat that has been steamed or parboiled, dried and ground. It's available from health shops or the health food sections in stores and requires little preparation. The tender grain has a chewy texture and a light, nutty flavour that work well with spring onion and mint. Go easy on the burghul - too much and the dish will be heavy instead of fluffy and light.

Perfect tabbouleh relies on perfect parsley. It's imperative the parsley is washed well to remove any grit, and dried thoroughly before adding to the salad. If the parsley is wet, the tabbouleh will turn mushy instead of being light and tasty. Use a salad spinner to dry the washed parsley or pat it dry with kitchen paper. Chop the dried parsley in a mini chopper to save time.

Serves: 4

Prep time: 30 minutes plus refrigeration

Ingredients:

40g (¼ cup) burghul

3 medium tomatoes

3 cups coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

3 spring onions, chopped finely

125ml (½ cup) coarsely chopped fresh mint

1 clove garlic, crushed

60ml (¼ cup) fresh lemon juice

60ml (¼ cup) olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method:

1. Place burghul in a medium shallow bowl.
2. Halve tomatoes, scoop pulp from tomato over burghul. Chop tomato flesh finely, spread over burghul. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
3. Combine burghul mixture in a large bowl with remaining ingredients. Season to taste.