Recipe: fresh tabbouleh by chef Mounir Toub

Chef Mounir Toub introduced the whole of the Netherlands to the riches of Arab cuisine via 24Kitchen. In his new book Chef Toub: Lekker Arabisch, he also shows just how surprisingly versatile these dishes are, how beautiful and colorful, and above all, how well you can make them yourself at home. From easy weekday meals to pulling out all the stops at the weekend; in this book he takes you along with his motto: “Cook and eat with lots of love and pleasure”.

Mounir Toub: “There are many recipes for tabbouleh. Experiment and create your own version! And make it a day in advance so the flavors can really infuse.”

How to make the tabbouleh

• Put the bulgur in a small bowl and add enough boiling water to cover it.
• Cover and leave to soak for 10 minutes.
• Halve the pomegranate and remove the seeds (without the white membranes).
• Mix the bulgur with the pomegranate seeds, parsley, mint, tomato, red onion, spring onion, cucumber and lemon zest, and season with salt and pepper.
• Stir the tabbouleh well so that all the flavors are mixed.
• Drizzle with the lemon juice and lemon oil just before serving.

How to make the lemon oil

• Use a Y-shaped vegetable peeler (‘horseshoe’) to remove the peel from one lemon (only the peel, not the bitter white pith).
• Grate the other lemon’s peel finely.
• Heat 200 ml grapeseed oil with the lemon peel and zest in a pan to 70 °C (maximum 75 °C).
• After 2 minutes, pour the warm oil with the lemon peel and zest into a metal bowl and add the remaining (cold) oil.
• Cover the cooled oil with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 day.
• Pour the lemon oil (with the lemon peel and zest) into a bottle or glass bowl and store it in a dry place.

Title: Chef Toub: Lekker Arabisch
Author: Mounir Toub
Price: €24,99
Publisher: Kosmos

Also read:

• Q&A with Mounir Toub
• Must-have cookbooks according to chefs #1
• Recipe: stuffed aubergines with almonds and parsley