Tabbouleh Iraqi
The Iraqi take on tabbouleh: heavier on the bulgur than Lebanese tabbouleh (which is herb-led), with diced tomato, cucumber, parsley, mint, spring onion and a generous pomegranate-lemon dressing. Eaten as a side or part of a wider mezze.
Overview
Fine bulgur soaks in just enough boiling water to absorb (no draining). Parsley, mint, tomato, cucumber, spring onion chop fine. Combined with the swollen bulgur. Dressed with olive oil, lemon, pomegranate molasses, salt, allspice, pepper.
Ingredients
- 80 g fine bulgur (#1 grade)
- 120 ml boiling water (for soaking)
- 2 tomatoes (medium, deseeded, fine dice)
- 1 cucumber (medium, deseeded, fine dice)
- 4 spring onions (sliced thin)
- 1 large bunch fresh parsley (60 g, very finely chopped)
- ½ small bunch fresh mint (20 g, very finely chopped)
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 lemon (juice)
- 1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground allspice
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
To finish
- 2 tablespoons pomegranate seeds (optional)
Method
Stage 1 - Bulgur
- Place bulgur in a small bowl.
- Pour boiling water over; cover; leave 20 minutes until water is absorbed and bulgur is tender.
- Fluff with a fork. (No need to drain.)
Stage 2 - Chop
- Dice tomato and cucumber fine (deseed both).
- Slice spring onions thin.
- Chop parsley and mint as fine as you can - the herbs are central.
Stage 3 - Combine
- In a wide bowl, combine soaked bulgur, all chopped vegetables and herbs.
Stage 4 - Dress
- Whisk olive oil, lemon, pomegranate molasses, salt, allspice, pepper.
- Pour over the salad; toss thoroughly.
- Rest 10 minutes for flavours to mingle.
Stage 5 - Serve
- Tip into a serving bowl; scatter pomegranate seeds if using.
- Eat with grilled lamb, kibbeh, or alongside any mezze.
Notes
- Bulgur heavier than Lebanese: Iraqi tabbouleh leans more on bulgur than the herb-led Lebanese version. Both versions are right; this is Iraqi.
- Fine chop matters: The herbs and vegetables should be small enough to scoop with a piece of bread.
- Pomegranate molasses is the signature: Don't substitute.
Storage
- Refrigerate 1 day. Better same day; the vegetables soften.
Recipes mentioned here
Kibbeh
Fine bulgur soaks until soft. The shell mixture combines bulgur, raw minced lamb, finely-grated onion, salt and spices, then blitzes (or pounds) into a dense, smooth, almost claylike paste. The filling is a separate cooked mince of lamb, onion, pine nuts, allspice and cinnamon. Each kibbeh shell is shaped over a finger; filling stuffs in; the lot pinches closed into a pointed oval. Deep-fries for 5 minutes.
Tabbouleh
Bulgur soaks briefly in lemon juice, not water, so it tenderises while taking on flavour. Parsley is washed, dried thoroughly, and chopped to fine green confetti. Tomato dices small and drains. Mint and spring onion go in fine. Everything tosses with olive oil, lemon, salt, pepper. No need to rest; eat right away.
Kibbeh
Two preparations: the bulgur-and-mince shell paste and the spiced cooked filling. The shell is shaped around a portion of filling into a football shape, then deep-fried until the outside is golden and the inside is hot and savoury. Served warm with yogurt or tahini.
More like this
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Cooked chickpeas (tinned for speed, OR overnight-soaked and home-cooked for the best texture) toss with diced red onion, finely chopped tomato, small-diced boiled potato and chopped fresh coriander. The dressing: lemon juice, chaat masala (a salty-sour spice mix sold at Pakistani shops), roasted ground cumin, Kashmiri chilli powder and a pinch of salt. Hot chilli sauce and tamarind chutney drizzle on; the chaat tosses; crushed papri tops; eat immediately.
Choban Salata (Azerbaijani Shepherd's Salad)
The Azerbaijani version of the shepherd's salad that turns up in some form on every table from the Balkans to Persia, the bright herby counter to anything rich coming out of the kitchen. You dice tomatoes, cucumber and red onion to five-millimetre cubes (smaller than a typical chopped salad, almost a relish) and chop the herbs fine: dill, mint and tarragon, the tarragon being the move that distinguishes the Azeri version from its neighbours. Everything tosses together with olive oil, lemon juice and salt about fifteen minutes before serving, so the salt draws the tomato juice out and the salad relaxes into itself. Best the same day; the salad weeps if held overnight. Eat with grilled meat, with plov, with lavash, with whatever the main is.
Fattoush
Pita breads are torn into pieces and toasted (or fried) until crisp and crunchy. Chopped vegetables, mint, parsley and a sumac-lemon-olive-oil dressing are tossed together; the toasted pita goes in last so it stays crunchy. Eaten immediately before the bread goes soft.
Fattoush
A torn pita is brushed with olive oil and grilled or fried until golden and crisp. Cucumber, tomato, radish, romaine, spring onion, parsley and mint are roughly chopped into a wide bowl. A dressing of lemon juice, pomegranate molasses, sumac, garlic, olive oil and salt is whisked. The salad is tossed with the dressing just before serving; the pita is scattered on top so it stays crisp.