Traditionally, tabbouleh is made using bulgar wheat with tomatoes, onions, parsley and mint. In some regions there will be more parsley than bulgar in the salad. The salad dressing is part of the seasoning and usually uses olive oil as the base.
I spent some time in Israel when I was a teenager and I do not remember ever eating tabbouleh while I was there. I can recall a lot of great felafels, plenty of fresh cucumber with the best cream cheese I have ever tasted. That with the most delicious yoghurt and halva seems to have made up my food diet. I recall drinking a fair bit of Arak as well, but that is a story for another day. My first memory of tabbouleh was when I visited Australia. I can remember it being full of coriander, a herb I did not really like at the time. But I loved the freshness of the salad itself. I had it again when in Dubai and here I suspect I ate the first dish prepared in a traditional way. This was full of parsley and raw onions and delicious.
Since then I have gone off raw onions. Dave does not like them at all, and my taste buds have changed to be more in line with his. When I was tasked by Lemcke Fine Oils to make use of their new Hemp Seed Oil I immediately thought of tabbouleh. The dressing is an integral part of making the flavours meld. This cold pressed oil is green in colour and has a slightly nutty flavour. Perfect for the tabbouleh. It is also of great nutritional value being high in essential fatty acids. I have not made a traditional salad as I have left out the raw onions and substituted them with cucumbers. They remind me of the Middle East and seemed appropriate for my dish.
I am passionate about using regional, seasonable and sustainable produce when I cook. I live in Gordons Bay with my husband and dogs. We visit new places locally and overseas as often as we can to experience the food of the area. Follow along on our adventures!
View all posts by Tandy
17 thoughts on “Tabbouleh Salad With Hemp Seed Oil Dressing”
Well that sounds like an adventure! I don’t ever recall seeing tabbouleh with coriander in Australia so you must have struck a chef that was free wheeling. Coincidentally, I made a similar recipe today for a lunch but as I had no cracked wheat, I used giant or ‘Israeli’ couscous and will be writing about it soon. I am can imagine that the hemp oil would be a deliciously nutty foil against the acid in the dressing.
Well that sounds like an adventure! I don’t ever recall seeing tabbouleh with coriander in Australia so you must have struck a chef that was free wheeling. Coincidentally, I made a similar recipe today for a lunch but as I had no cracked wheat, I used giant or ‘Israeli’ couscous and will be writing about it soon. I am can imagine that the hemp oil would be a deliciously nutty foil against the acid in the dressing.
I would love to find some Israeli cous cous here to experiment with 🙂
How interesting!
Thank you for taking the time to comment Liz xox
I wish I didn’t love onions (raw and cooked) as much as I do! They make me cry a lot 🙂 This is a gorgeous looking salad Tandy!
I am not a fan of cry onions either 🙂
Coriander in tabbouleh does sound unusual (and I am Australian). Love your little beet gels. Add such pops of colour!
Thanks Pamela. I think the restaurant I tried it at used some ‘poetic license’ 🙂
HI Tandy, love that you made this with hemp seed oil and bulgar, looks delicious!!
Thank you Cheir 🙂
This sounds super delish. Great recipe and I cannot wait to recreate:)
Thank you!
Wonderful recipe which I cannot wait to recreate:)
Hope you enjoy it!