Go healthy the Lebanese way with Tabouli and Fattoush salads

Broken wheat, olive oil, lime extract, parsley, mint and finely chopped vegetables are the basic ingredients that make the Tabbouleh, as fresh as the hilly slopes of Lebanon.

This salad is a must for west Mediterranean meals. A hot item in West Asia, the Tabbouleh has its American, Turkish and Cypriot variants. The Fattoush is also as popular as the Tabbouleh. Both the salads, believed to have originated from Lebanon’s mountains, are the top eats in the Gulf.

Going by health indices, Lebanon is the healthiest of all Arab countries. The main ingredients that keep them healthy are wide consumption of grain, olive oil, garlic, lime extract and cumin.

Salad freaks can try out these popular mixes.

Click here to read this recipe in Malayalam

Ingredients
For Tabouli
1 cup broken wheat (to be soaked in warm water for 20 minutes)
2 cups of cherry tomatoes quartered
1 cup parsley
1 cup diced cucumber
½ cup spring onion
1 cup mint leaves
Extract of one lemon
1 teaspoon salt
Pepper powder as required
For Fattoush
1 bunch Romaine lettuce
1 cup diced tomatoes
1 cup quartered tomatoes
1 cup diced cucumber
1 cup chopped onions
1 cup spring onions
1 cup mint leaves
1 cup parsley
½ cup sliced black olives
1 cup roasted pitta bread
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 tbsp wine vinegar
Salt as required
Olive oil
Dill leaves
4 tbsp yoghurt
1 tbsp black sesame paste
Extract of one lemon
1 tsp salt
Lemon zest
Dry basil

Preparation
For Tabouli
Mix the soaked wheat thoroughly with olive oil
Add the cherry tomatoes, chopped parsley, diced cucumber, mint leaves, lime extract, salt, pepper powder and olive oil
Toss and mix the salad with a fork
For Fattoush
Finely chop the Romaine lettuce
Add tomatoes, cucumber, onions, spring onions, parsley, black olives and roasted pita bread, mix thoroughly
Now comes a small something that enhances the flavour of the salad
Beat together Dijon mustard, vinegar, salt and olive oil
Blend well and pour into the salad
In a separate bowl, mix dill leave, yoghurt, sesame paste, lemon extract, and salt
Mix it using a hand blender
|Pour it over the salad
Sprinkle the salad with lemon zest and dry basil
A wholesome veg meal is ready