Bulgur Wheat Rainbow Bowl with Orange Dressing

This vegetarian tabbouleh salad recipe is perfect for lunch on a misty winter day. Its fresh and citrusy flavour transports us to a picnic in the garden on a bright & sunny spring day.

This is an edited extract from Falastin by Sami Tamimi and Tara Wigley, introduced to us by the ever amazing Saumya Gupta.

Ingredients

• 200g bulgur wheat
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground allspice
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 225ml boiling water
• 250g kale (or salad mix of your choice), stems discarded, leaves roughly shredded
• 1/2 (about 550g) red cabbage, trimmed, shredded
• 2 1/2 tbsp parsley, roughly chopped
• 2 tbsp mint leaves, torn
• 6 long green shallots, thinly sliced
• 4 oranges (or 2 regular oranges), peeled and sliced
• 85g pomegranate seeds (from 1/2 a pomegranate)

Orange Dressing

• 1/4 cup (60ml) orange juice (or regular)
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp each ground cinnamon & allspice
• 2 tsp pomegranate molasses
• 1 tsp caster sugar
• 130 ml olive oil

Method

1. Place the bulgur, cinnamon, allspice, 2 tsp olive oil, boiling water and 1/4 tsp salt in a medium saucepan with a lid. Bring to the boil over a medium heat, then cover the pan, remove from the heat and set aside for 30 minutes. Remove the lid, fluff the bulgur with a fork and set aside to cool.
2. Put the salad leaves into a bowl with the remaining tsp oil and a tiny pinch of salt. Using your hands, mix well, gently massaging the leaves, then set aside.
3. For the dressing, place all ingredients, apart from the olive oil, in a bowl with 3/4 tsp salt and a good grind of black pepper. Whisk to combine, then, continuing to whisk as you pour, slowly add the oil until the mix is thick and emulsified.
4. Tip the cooled bulgur into a very large bowl and add the cabbage, parsley, mint, shallot, orange, 3/4 tsp salt and a generous grind of black pepper. Mix to combine, add the cavolo nero and pour over the dressing. Mix to combine, then transfer to a serving platter or individual plates. Sprinkle over pomegranate seeds to serve.

This salad keeps well, so if you'd like to prep you can make it a few hours in advance and store it in your fridge. Leftovers are also lovely the next day. 

 

Reference,

Tamimi, S. and Wigley, T., 2020. Falastin: A Cook Book. 1st ed. United Kingdom: Ebury.