[Tabbouleh] Lebanese-Middle Eastern Bulgur salad with lots of Parsley and Mint

I'm growing most herbs in my small raised bed so that I can pick herb as I need, instead of paying $1.99 for a few sprigs of any herb. All types of herb grow pretty easily, but especially, parsley and mints do grow at an amazing speed. Well,  I usually don't need all the herbs at once and a lot, but there is no way I can't stop them growing, is there? Then, the second option would be to find a solution to consume as much herbs as possible. A same thing happens when you buy a bunch of parsley. Honestly, how many times did you use up the entire bunch of parsley (or mint)? It's seriously a lot!When my parsley plants start to flood over the raised bed garden in the mid-summer, I make a big bowl of tabbouleh two, or three, weeks in a row. 

I had taboulé for the first time from Carrefour, near Annecy where I lived a winter and a summer many many years ago. The taboulé sold at the Carrefour was not an authentic(?) Lebanese tabbouleh since its main ingredient was couscous instead of bulgur. 

Probably it was the first time I had couscous in my life, which quickly became my favorite source of carbohydrate. Even though I like both bulgur and couscous salad so much, I still prefer using bulgur to make taboulé, than adding couscous. If you haven't tried bulgur, this is a great recipe to taste bulgur! The real "tabbouleh" from Lebanon contains much more parsley, and much less bulgur though. Yes, as you read, a real taboulé  is a parsley salad that has some bulgur in it. However, a westernized taboulé (or tabbouleh) is a bulgur(or bulgar or bulghur) salad that has some large portion of parsley and mint. :) 

It is for sure that I appreciate parsley & mint much more than before. Also, mint takes big role here and makes the salad really refreshing. Still I like taboulé to be a bulgur salad rather than a parsley one.  I like itself with a bun, for my lunch, but you can add other stuffs too. I feel really good after I have a big serving of tabbouleh.

Here goes the recipe:

(adapted from Papilles & Paupilles)

Ingredients

1 cup bulgur (or 1 cup cousecouse)

1 + 2/3 boiling water

1/3 cup olive oil

2 large tomatoes

1/2 English cucumber

1/4 large onion (or 1/2 

1 lemon

 1 bunch parsley

1/2 bunch mint

salt and pepper

Directions

1. Combine bulgur and boiling water in a large bowl. 

Mix and cover, and set aside for at least 30 minutes.

2. Dice tomatoes and onion.

3. Seed cucumber and dice.

4. Chop parsley and mint.

5. Squeeze juice out of lemon.

6. Add oil, lemon juice, onions, parsley, mint, tomatoes, and cucumber to cooked bulgur. 

7. Toss to combine. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. 

8. Cover, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

If there's any leftover, this makes a perfect leftover lunch box!

Enjoy!

Tabbouleh - Taboulé