Tabbouleh : the Lebanese salad with couscous, tomato and mint

The salads offer a virtually unlimited amount of possibilities, and There is one for every taste. That if, when the heat is tight there are some that become favorites for their freshness and for how easy they are to preparesince it is a time when we feel like messing around a little in the kitchen, and today’s salad certainly meets those requirements and also has a great exotic touch.

East Tabbouleh is a typical lebanese salad and also syrian which, although traditionally prepared with bulgur wheatthe version with couscous and I assure you that it is as simple as rich. The tomatoes and the spring onion tender are the main company of couscous and peppermint and the lemon along with a good extra virgin olive oil they are responsible for giving the perfect touch of flavor.

Yes, to get the most out of it uses the best quality ingredients, from the tomatoes to the extra virgin olive oil, passing through the herbs that must be fresh. It is a dish that is usually served as a starter but also as a side dish or main course. It occurs to me that it is an ideal dinner for the hottest nights because in addition to being refreshing prepares in a few minutes.

If you like this recipe, you will surely love our traditional country potato saladwave caesar salad with chicken and homemade caesar sauce, another salad with its own name. And if you enter our section of saladsyou will discover options for all tastes, from the mango lemongrass chicken and rice salada Thai-inspired recipe, the famous Chinese salad with sweet and sour white sauce (I promise you that it is very successful in flavor), the original lentil salad with salmon and avocado. or the Italian tomato and mozzarella carpese salad with basil.

And if you want to complete a 100% Arabic menuwe suggest you make a delicious hummus (cream of chickpea puree) or baked falafel with homemade yogurt sauce, two options with very tasty chickpeas. you can also prepare baba ganoush (roasted eggplant cream) as an appetizer, and accompany them with homemade pita bread. As a main and if you are not going to prepare tabbouleh you can enjoy this delicious cous cous or “couscous” with vegetables and chicken and finally serve a dessert to match, full of nuts and honey, such as baklava.

Ingredients to prepare tabbouleh, the Lebanese salad with couscous, tomato and mint (garnish for 4 people):

• 100 gr of couscous or cous cous.
• 100 ml of water.
• A small piece of butter (as if it were a teaspoon of dessert).
• 1 tomato. I have used a tomato that is sold on the vine but you can use the variety you prefer.
• 1/2 spring onion.
• A few sprigs of mint (amount to taste but make it abundant).
• A few sprigs of parsley (amount to taste but make it abundant).
• A tablespoon of raisins (optional).
• The juice of 1/2 lemon.
• Extra virgin olive oil and salt.

Preparation, how to make the recipe for tabbouleh, the Lebanese salad with couscous, tomato and mint:

1. If you want your salad to have a plus of freshness, keep the tomatoes and the spring onion in the fridge until ready to use.
2. The first thing we will do is cook the couscous. To do this, the same amount of couscous is used as water, so I have put the 100 ml of Water in a saucepan over high heat along with a little olive oil Y Salt.
3. As soon as the water boils, remove the saucepan from the heat and pour in the couscous and stir it just a little like a spoon.
4. Let it sit for about 3 minutes so that it soaks up the water well.
5. Add the ButterPut the saucepan back on a very low heat and stir with the spoon for just 2 minutes. Take it off the heat, it’s ready.
6. You can transfer it to a bowl or plate so that it cools more quickly since to assemble the salad it must be completely cold (I recommend you continue assembling the rest of the salad when it is already cold).
7. Wash the tomatoes and cut it into small squares.
8. Remove the first layer of spring onion and finely chop it.
9. Take the leaves of peppermint Y parsley and discard the twigs. Chop the small leaves.
10. put the tomatoesthe spring onionthe peppermint and the parsley in a bowl together with the raisins and water with lemon juicea bit of olive oil Y Salt.
11. Add the cous cous to the bowl and mix it with the rest of the ingredients. Try the tabbouleh to check if it’s okay Salt Y lemon.

Time: 15 minutes plus the couscous cooling time

Difficulty: easy

Serve and taste:

It’s a salad can be made in advance but the couscous separated from the rest of the ingredients to mix it up at the last minute and thus ensure that the salad arrives fresh and as if just made and prevent the couscous from softening. Yes, if you want me to be especially cool you can leave it all in covered bowls in the fridge.

Is a most refreshing combination and personally I love the touch of the raisins because it gives you a lot of play. She will surprise you how good the peppermint with a salad like this, you will see that It’s authentic… scandal!

Variants of the tabbouleh recipe, the Lebanese salad with couscous, tomato and mint:

traditionally instead of couscous used bulgur wheat but couscous is easier to find in supermarkets and is also very quick to prepare.

The most traditional recipe is this one that I have prepared with the license of the raisins that has been my thing, but from there I encourage you to experiment and include other ingredients that you may like, such as cucumber or black olives. You can also modify the proportions of each type of ingredient to adapt the salad to your taste.

Tips:

The key to this recipe is to use the best and freshest ingredients.. Some good quality tomatoes, fresh herbs and of course extra virgin olive oil they are the key.