I mentioned in my last post there will be recipes that give you parsley teeth. This is one of those recipes.
My husband calls this one ‘Armenian Sang Choy Bow’ because its best enjoyed in a lettuce parcel. I call it ‘Reverse Tabouli’ because its a little bit of parsley and a whole lot of bulgur. The actual name for this traditional Armenian salad is Ich. Or Eech Salad. Or just get in my mouth salad.
Its gloriously delicious, and its one of those salads that gets better with time. Make it and leave it overnight and see how gorgeous it is the next day. Possibly (if there is any left) even better on day 2.
Be sure to use the finest bulgur you can buy. And if you really want to be adventurous, you could even substitute it for quinoa, cous cous or any other fine grain. The main flavour here though is the combination of the pastes, lemon and the fresh herbs.
- 1 – 1 ½ cups fine bulgur ( #1)
- Hot water – enough to cover bulgur in a bowl
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons pepper paste
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 2 tablespoons dry mint
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 lemons
- ½ cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
- ½ cup fresh mint, finely chopped
- ½ cup green onions/shallots, finely chopped
- 2 tomatoes finely diced
Place the bulgur in a large bowl and cover it with hot water. Leave for 30 seconds then drain well. Add all the ingredients and stir well. Cover with glad wrap and place it in the fridge for at least an hour for all the ingredients to make love. Serve and enjoy with crunchy iceberg lettuce.
Gourmet Wog 