- 75g bulgar wheat
- 400g carrots
- 100g Medjool dates
- A handful of mint, leaves only
- A handful of flat leaf parsley
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 lemon
- 35g cashews
- 150ml boiling water
- Sea salt
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- Freshly ground pepper
- 1.
Tip the bulgar wheat into a heatproof bowl. Pour in 150ml boiling water and add a pinch of salt. Stir to mix, then cover the bowl with a plate. Leave to soak for 10 mins. The bulgar wheat will suck up all the water.
- 2.
While the bulgar soaks, peel or scrub the carrots. Roughly chop them and add to a food processor or blender. Blitz till they look like couscous. No processor? Just coarsely grate the carrots, then roughly chop them. Scoop them into a large bowl.
- 3.
Pit and finely chop the dates. Finely chop the mint leaves, and the parsley leaves and stalks. Peel and grate the garlic. Zest the lemon. Add it all to the carrots. When the bulgar wheat has finished soaking, drain off any excess water then add the bulgar to the bowl too. Toss it all together to mix.
- 4.
Add a good squeeze of lemon juice and 2 tbsp olive oil to the bowl. Season as needed and mix together.
- 5.
Set a dry frying pan over a medium heat. Add the cashews. Toast for 4-5 mins till just golden. Roughly chop them and scatter over the top of the tabbouleh. Serve immediately.
- Tip
Go with the grain
You can make 'couscous' or 'rice' with lots of vegetables. Cauliflowers, broccoli, courgettes, kohl rabhi and courgettes all make great grain-free garins. The easiest way to make vegetable rice is to peel the veg (if it needs it), then roughly chop and pulse a few times till you get the size of grain you're after. The vegetable rice makes a great side by itself, or mix with some cooked rice, couscous, bulgar wheat or buckwheat to make a rainbow side dish.
