Tabbouleh – A Gluten-Free Classic
Tabbouleh. I especially like it with fresh ingredients like parsley and sun-ripened tomatoes on a warm summer's day at Vienna's busy Naschmarkt or the local Tel Aviv Beach on the Danube canal, where I can people watch and feel like I'm on holiday. Tabbouleh is of Arabic origin and is a salad popular in Lebanese cuisine, but there's also a Turkish variety called Kisir.
The main ingredients of Tabbouleh are bulgur or couscous as well as parsley. Added are sweet vine tomatoes, onions, shallots, lime juice, mint and cucumbers. Deli Bluem's Andrea revealed her gluten-free version to me, which is made with buckwheat. For this recipe, put the buckwheat kernels in water for half an hour the night before and then drain them and let them sit overnight on a clean surface (can be on a plate or in a casserole form). You may cover them with clingfilm if you like. The next day, they've already sprouted and can be used for the salad.
Buckwheat has a ton of iron, potassium and B-vitamins. Its high folic acid content is great for our skin, hair and nails. Compared to common grains such as wheat, spelt, barley or rye, buckwheat contains a particularly high quality protein structure with essential amino acids. It's also easily digestible and perfect for coeliac sufferers.
Buckwheat is a plant and has nothing to do with actual wheat.The name 'buckwheat' (or beech wheat) comes from its triangular seeds, which resemble the nut seeds from the beech tree and the fact that it is used like wheat. You can buy buckwheat in its wholegrain form or as a flour. The grains can be prepared like rice, taking about 25 minutes to cook and taste great in patties, as a veggie filler, as a side dish, casserole or soup. A particularly popular buckwheat recipe is the French buckwheat crêpe, the galette.
This week, I planned a classic tabbouleh recipe for KochAbo's vegan box.
Classic Tabbouleh
Ingredients:
- 100g bulgur
- ¼ bunch mint
- 1 bunch parsley
- 3 tomatoes
- ½ cucumber
- 2 spring onions
- ½ lime
- 1 pinch of Scharfmacher Gewürzblütenzubereitung (spice and flower petal mix)
- 3 TBSP olive oil
- 2 TBSP balsamic vinegar
- 250ml water (for the bulgur)
- salt and pepper
Preparation:
- Bring lightly salted water to the boil for the bulgur. Take a second pan and boil some water for the tomatoes. In the meantime, wash and finely slice the spring onions. Wash and halve the cucumber lengthwise and cut into 0,5cm cubes. Wash, shake dry, pick and finely chop the mint and parsley.
- Pour boiling water over the tomatoes, then plunge them in cold water and skin them. Put the bulgur in boiling water and simmer over a medium heat for 5-7 minutes. Then lower the temperature, cover and let it absorb the rest of the water - about 5-10 minutes.
- Halve the tomatoes and remove the stems and seeds. Cut the flesh into small cubes. For the dressing, squeeze the lime and combine well with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper and Scharfmacher spice mix.
- Put the bulgur in a salad bowl and mix in herbs, tomato cubes, cucumber and spring onions. Pour the dressing over the tabbouleh, arrange on plates and serve.
