This quick and easy bulgur wheat salad recipe is packed with classic Lebanese salad flavours. You can make the tahini dressing by hand, but it is quicker and easier if you have a blender.
Servings8
Equipment
- Food processor – or finely chop the herbs by hand.
Ingredients
- 1 red onion, finely diced
- 3 Roma tomatoes, cubed about 1 cm (⅓ inch) in size
- ½ English cucumber, cubed about 1 cm (⅓ inch) in size
- 1 cup packed rocket/arugula, roughly chopped or torn by hand
- 1 cup bulgur wheat, or 3 cups cooked bulgur wheat
Tahini herb dressing (about ¾ cup)
- ¼ cup tightly packed cilantro, tender stems and leaves
- ¼ cup tightly packed parsley, tender stems and leaves
- ¼ cup tahini
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 2 tablespoons water, add more as needed
- 1½ tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 green chilli (optional)
- 1 small garlic clove
- salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
To serve (optional)
- handful fresh mint leaves
- 3 tablespoons pomegranate seeds
- 3 tablespoons toasted almond flakes
Instructions
- Place the diced onions in a bowl with cold water and set it aside.
- Add the cubed tomato and cucumber to a medium-sized mixing bowl with 1 teaspoon of ground sea salt (or kosher salt) and set aside.
- Place the cup of bulgur wheat in a saucepan with 2 cups of water and ½ teaspoon of salt. Bring it to a boil, then cover and reduce the heat. Simmer gently for 10 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat and let it sit, covered, for another 10 minutes. Drain well. Transfer the cooked bulgur wheat to a large bowl and fluff it with a fork. Leave it to cool to room temperature.
- While the bulgur wheat is cooking, make the tahini dressing. Place all the ingredients in the bowl of a small food processor. Blitz until smooth (about 2 minutes), scraping down the sides if needed. You can also use an immersion blender. Add another splash of water to loosen if necessary – it should be thick like greek yoghurt. Taste and add more salt or lemon juice if necessary.
- Once the bulgur wheat has cooled, stir through most of the herby tahini sauce – reserve about 2 tablespoons. Add a tablespoon of olive oil to the reserved herby tahini whisk together. Add water, one teaspoon at a time, until the dressing is of pouring consistency.
- Drain the juice from the diced tomato and cucumber, and drain the onions. Add it to the large bowl with the bulgur wheat along with the chopped arugula. Gently mix the salad. Add salt and black pepper to taste – I add about ½ teaspoon of salt.
- Transfer the mixed salad to a large serving bowl, drizzle with the remaining tahini dressing, and top with the mint leaves, pomegranate and toasted almonds (if using).
Notes
- If you don’t have a small food processor, you can chop the herbs by hand and mix them into the tahini. The dressing won’t be as vibrant green, but it will still be delicious and creamy.
- If you want to use a normal-sized food processor, you need to make a double batch of the dressing. It's a versatile condiment to serve alongside seafood, vegetable fritters or crispy Middle Eastern falafel.