Asian-Scented Tabbouleh

Tabbouleh is a Middle Eastern parsley and bulgur salad. In this recipe from the book Cooking with Foods that Fight Cancer, tabbouleh takes on some Asian flavours, thanks to mint, Thai basil, cilantro and ginger. Bulgur (cracked wheat) and couscous are both convenient “grains” (couscous is actually a semolina pasta) for this salad as they don’t require much cooking; just pour boiling water on top and the grains should cook as it absorbs the hot liquid. Quinoa and amaranth would make great gluten-free substitutes in this recipe, but do take longer to cook.

Author: Vincci Tsui, RD
Recipe type: Salad
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Makes: 3 cups

Ingredients

• 1 cup (250 mL) bulgur or whole wheat couscous

• 1 cup (250 mL) boiling water

• ½ cup (125 mL) olive oil

• ½ tsp (2 mL) turmeric

• Juice of 1 lemon

• Salt and pepper, to taste

• 2 tomatoes, seeded and diced

• ¼ cup (60 mL) finely sliced fresh mint

• ¼ cup (60 mL) finely sliced Thai basil (regular basil is fine)

• ¼ cup (60 mL) chopped cilantro

• 2 Tbsp (30 mL) minced fresh ginger

Instructions

1. Place bulgur or couscous in a large bowl. Pour boiling water over top. Cover with a plate and let stand for 10 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, make the vinaigrette by whisking together olive oil, turmeric and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper.

3. Fluff bulgur with a fork and mix in tomatoes, mint, basil, cilantro and ginger. Toss with vinaigrette and serve.