Middle Eastern food, quite like Mexican food appeals to most Indian folks because of the similarity it has to some of our favorite dishes. There is the usual kababs, rice, bread, dips much like Indian food and lots more which is new and so delicious! The two things that draw me the most to middle eastern food are the flavor and the number of healthy options it has to offer. There is a generous use of herbs and spices and I have found my favorites here as well - zatar and sumac are two spices that I love to use outside of middle eastern food also. A lot of middle eastern food is also grilled which makes it healthy and a treat to be enjoyed anytime.

Most kababs are wonderful in middle eastern food and its hard to pick favorites but when it comes to dips and salads, the winners are very straightforward. It has to be hummus and tabbouleh. Hummus is a fantastic dip that can be enjoyed in so many different ways. I do not leave any chance to enjoy this brilliant dip either with pita, chips, vegetable sticks or with kababs. It is a creamy flavorful delight everytime. And tabbouleh is an unusual salad - more herbs than vegetables and bulgur wheat. I have had many a folks who look at it and wonder how it will be, and one bite and they love it.

There is no one recipe for making tabbouleh - it is just a mixture of salad vegetables, fresh parsley, mint, bulgur and a simple dressing of olive oil, lemon juice and salt. The ratio in which you like to add the ingredients is your choice. I personally like to go heavy on the parsley and mint and take it easy on onions and olive oil. Bulgur wheat adds substance to the salad making it more hearty and nutritious. Lemon juice adds a bit of zing to the dish without making it very sour. Tabbouleh can be paired with kababs to make a wholesome meal that is flavorful and very healthy.

The key here is to ensure that bulgur is well soaked. Bulgur wheat is pre cooked but we need to ensure it is nicely softened before we add it to the salad. for the finer variety of bulgur, twice the amount of water as the bulgur is sufficient to get it softened but for some other varieties, you may need to use 3 times the water. Press the soaked bulgur between your fingers to check if it is well softened else it will need to be sprinkled with some more water and soaked for another 10 minutes or so.

Ingredients

1/2 cup bulgur wheat - soaked in 1 - 1 1/2 cups of water for 20-30 minutes

1 cup flat leaf/curly parsley, chopped

1/2 cup fresh mint leaves, chopped

1/2 cup fresh tomatoes, diced

1/2 cup chopped cucumber

2 stalks spring onion, only the white ends sliced into thin rings

1 1/2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (depending on your preference)

2 teaspoons lemon juice

Salt to taste

Method

1. Combine the chopped herbs and vegetables in a salad mixing bowl.

2. Add the drained bulgur wheat and olive oil to it.

3. Just before eating, add the salt and lemon juice. Serve immediately.