This barley tabbouleh salad is a unique take on the classic salad including bulgur wheat. Despite the difference in grains, it still has an abundance of fresh herbs, tomato, and cucumber. The lemony dressing soaks into the grains making this healthy salad very delicious.
About Tabbouleh
Tabbouleh is a salad that originated in the Middle East. However, it has gained world popularity due to its fresh flavours. The original version includes bulgur, fresh parsley, tomato, and mint. Meanwhile, the dressing is often a combination of olive oil and fresh lemon juice. I just love how simple and flavourful the dressing is. It might be my favourite salad dressing ever.
How to make barley tabbouleh salad
Unlike bulgur, pearl barley requires cooking. The process is as easy as making something like quinoa, though. Simply combine the pearl barley and water in a pot, bring to a boil, and simmer until it is tender, for about 15 minutes. Be careful to not let it go too long or else the barley may become mushy and unappealing in your salad.
To ensure that the grains don’t stick together in your salad, you should rinse them with cold water to remove the starches before placing them in a large bowl. Rinsing the grains also cools them down and stops the cooking process.
When you have prepared barley you can mix it with the rest of the vegetables and let the flavours combine together.
I love barley tabbouleh for it’s simplicity and delicious flavour combnation. I also love to add some other toppings such as almonds and feta pieces.
Pearl barley is such an underused grain but deserves more attention in the kitchen. Even beyond its significant nutritional profile, it is relatively inexpensive and a single bag of it goes a long way.
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Barley Tabbouleh Salad
Ingredients
- ½ cup pearl barley
- 1 english cucumber
- 2 tomatoes
- 2 ribs celery
- ½ cup parsley
- 1 lemon juice
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 handful almonds optional
- 100 g vegan feta
Instructions
- In a pot add barley some salt and 1,5 cup of water. The ratio for barley cooking is 1:3 barley and water. Let it simmer on a low heat for about 30 minutes and let it sit and absorve all the water for another 5 minutes.
- When the barley is cooked simply rinse it wth cold water.
- Add all chopped vegetables and barley to the bowl and drizzle with some lemon juice and olive oil.
- Top it with crushed almonds and feta cheese. Enjoy!
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