The recipe for oriental tabbouleh, which requires no cooking, is very simple to make. Just prepare it the day before. This possible version of tabbouleh, not to be confused with the Lebanese recipe made with parsley, is a refreshing side dish or an appetizer whose flavor you will appreciate during your barbecues and picnics.
This recipe for Taboulé does not require cooking and is very easy to make using a food processor.
1- Pour the bulgur wheat into a large bowl.
2- Wash and prepare the vegetables: remove the stems from the tomatoes and cut them into pieces, remove the seeds from the peppers and cut them into strips, peel the onion and cut it into pieces.
3- Start by blending the tomatoes and pour the resulting sauce over the bulgur. Mix everything together so that the couscous absorbs the sauce well (at each step of the recipe, you will need to mix the ingredients well to moisten the bulgur).
4- Blend the peppers one by one, add the pepper puree to the mixture and mix.
5- Blend the onion with the previously washed Mint leaves, then add to the bulgur and mix.
6- Squeeze one of the lemons and add the juice to the mixture. If the couscous seems dry or if you have obtained little juice, you can possibly squeeze a second lemon.
7- Season with salt and Pepper and about 4 tablespoons of olive oil.
During this step, your mixture of semolina and blended vegetables should be moist. It may even appear liquid, depending on the amount of juice contained in the tomatoes and lemons.
This consistency should not worry you because the wheat semolina will swell and absorb this juice.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator for at least 12 hours.
The next day, the wheat semolina will have swelled. Mix the oriental tabbouleh to aerate the grains and taste to adjust the seasoning with salt, pepper, and lemon.
If the texture of the semolina seems too dry, you can add a little lemon juice and/or olive oil.
Serve this tabbouleh chilled, optionally accompanied by other raw vegetables such as tomato slices.
If you want to take this tabbouleh on a picnic or to the beach, place it in an airtight container and transport it in a cooler to enjoy it chilled.