Tabouleh oriental salad

Tabouleh is an oriental salad that is a must at any French picnic or barbecue. Tabouleh salad is very easy to prepare and is a varied side dish or a wonderful meal that is even vegan.

Oriental couscous salad is very easy to prepare once you know the right technique. The secret is not to pre-cook the couscous!

The Secret of a Good Couscous Salad

The secret is not to pre-cook the couscous. Quite the opposite!

The important thing with Tabouleh and all couscous salads is that the raw couscous gets enough liquid to soak up and become soft. And also enough time. The raw couscous should soak up liquid for at least 3 hours.

In this Tabbouleh recipe we use the classic ingredients used in the Middle East: olive oil, lemon juice and tomatoes.

But you can create other couscous salads according to your taste, as long as you add enough liquid. For example, cucumber, vinegar, zucchini, peppers, feta cheese... Because if you salt vegetables, they will also release their water and help the couscous to absorb the liquid and become soft.

Olive Oil for Tabouleh Couscous Salad

It is also important to use a high-quality olive oil. Its flavor comes out wonderfully in tabbouleh and because it is not heated, all of the healthy ingredients of the olive oil are preserved.

If you like it mild, we recommend our olive oil from Nyons . It is wonderfully round and has no bitterness at all. This makes it suitable for many Mediterranean recipes.

If you like the strong, slightly spicy taste of olive oil, then our Verdale fruité vert olive oil is highly recommended. It has a strong taste and goes really well with fresh salads and also with oriental couscous salads like Tabbouleh.

Recipe for Tabouleh Salad – Couscous Salad

You can use this recipe for Tabouleh salad as a base for a variety of couscous salad recipes. Let your creativity run wild!

Here is our recipe for oriental tabbouleh salad as we often prepare it in France.

Ingredients for Tabouleh Salad – Couscous Salad

Preparation for Tabouleh Salad – Couscous Salad

1. The most important thing about the couscous salad is of course the couscous. Put the couscous in a large bowl.
2. Cut the tomatoes into 1cm cubes and place them on the couscous. Add 1 teaspoon of salt to the tomatoes so that they start to release their water and soften the couscous.
3. Wash the parsley and dry it in a cotton cloth. Finely chop the leaves and the finer stalks. Dice the onion and the tomatoes.
4. Put everything in the bowl. Add olive oil, lemon juice and 1 teaspoon of salt. Mix everything well. The couscous grains must be mixed well with the vegetables and liquids so that they can absorb the liquid.
5. Now let the Tabouleh salad sit at room temperature or in the fridge for at least 2.5 hours, or overnight. After this time, the couscous will be soft and will have absorbed the flavours of parsley, olive oil and lemon.
6. Season to taste with lemon juice, olive oil and salt.
7. As a vegan main meal or as a fresh side dish to Mediterranean dishes. Bon appetit!

You can adapt this basic recipe to your taste. Try it with other vegetables such as cucumbers or peppers, with pine nuts or almonds, feta, limes, raisins, or other herbs such as coriander, basil, oriental spices such as turmeric or even cinnamon... It is important that there is enough liquid and that you let your couscous salad sit long enough.