I am not sure where this version of tabbouleh comes from. Initially, I assumed it was a winter version from days long past, but tomatoes are summer vegetables, so my guess was wrong. Then I thought it was possibly a regional variation, but I have yet to find another reference to it outside the recipe I initially found in Ibrahim Mouzannar’s Lebanese Cuisine. I have adapted his recipe to make it lighter on the bulgur as well as the olive oil. And, unlike him, I use fine bulgur and have replaced the paprika he suggests using with Aleppo pepper to give the salad a nice kick.
SERVES 4 TO 6
INGREDIENTS:
- ½ cup (100 g) fine bulgur
- 1 conehead (pointed) cabbage (1 pound 2 ounces/500 g), outer damaged leaves discarded, very finely shredded
- 2 bunches scallions (3½ ounces/100 g total), thinly sliced
- 1 bunch mint (7 ounces/200 g), leaves stripped off the stems, chopped medium fine
- 14 ounces (400 g) cherry tomatoes, quartered
- Juice of 1 lemon, or to taste
- ⅓ cup (80 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper, or to taste
- Sea salt
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Rinse the bulgur under cold water. Drain and set aside to fluff up. Let it sit for about 10 minutes while you prepare the other ingredients. Stir with a fork every now and then to separate the grains.
- Put the cabbage, scallions, mint, and tomatoes in a large bowl.
- Add the bulgur, lemon juice, and oil to the bowl.
- Season with the Aleppo pepper and salt to taste. Mix well.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.
- Serve immediately.
Enjoy your delicious bulgur salad with cabbage, scallions, mint, and cherry tomatoes!
