Not quite tabbouleh.

Middle Eastern food has long been a favourite of mine ever since my teen years when my mum would treat me to Lebanese for lunch after going shopping in our local town. Even in my youthful naivety, the star of the mixed mezze plate was the fresh and zingy tabbouleh salad that accompanied it. If you've ever had proper tabbouleh then you'll know that it's mostly parsley with a tiny amount of bulgar wheat tomatoes and maybe some other ingredients mixed in with a lemony dressing. This is far from the salad we would have at home BBQ's which was made mostly for filling up tummies and therefore primarily made of bulgar wheat, cucumber and tomatoes. 

Now the heat has finally arrived and its the season for salads along with a little health kick, I thought it would be good to get creative with some lighter dishes. 

The plan was to have a Sunday roast chicken with a slight alteration. Still the tasty, crispy chicken but serve it with a butternut squash salad (recipe to follow) and a tabbouleh salad somewhere between the original and the bulky one of my childhood. The result was on point, light and refreshing whilst still being filling. Recommended for anyone looking for an accompaniment to a summer roast lunch to be enjoyed on a hot day. 

Bulky tabbouleh

Serves 4

1 handful of bulgar wheat, rinsed under a cold tap

1/2 red onion finely chopped

3 salad Tomatoes cut in to rough cubes or a handful of halved baby tomatoes 

1/3 of a cucumber, seeds removed and cut in to bitesized pieces

1 big handful of parsley, chopped

4 sprigs of fresh mint, leaves picked and chopped 

Juice of a lemon

Drizzle of extra virgin olive oil 

Salt and pepper to taste. 

Boil a kettle, pour over the bulgar wheat then cover with cling film. Let that sit for 5-8 minutes until doubled in size and tender. Drain off and then run under the cold tap until cool. Leave this in the sieve so all the excess water drains off. 

Meanwhile prepare all the other ingredients in a bowl except the lemon and oil. Once ready, mix through the bulgar wheat, adding more chopped herbs if needs be. Then dress the salad, taste and serve.