This flavorful golden couscous tabbouleh salad comes together in just 15 minutes without any real cooking! It makes an amazing side dish or light lunch, and keeps well in the fridge for at least 2 days.
1tablespoonlemon juice(from ½ lemon, or more to taste)
Instructions
Place the couscous in a large bowl. Add a teaspoon of turmeric and the salt and pour slowly the boiling water or vegetable stock, little by a little while mixing with a fork. Allow to rest for 3-5 minutes and stir again, fluffing the couscous grains. Adjust the flavor with more salt, if desired, or add a few tablespoons more hot water, if you find that the couscous is not soft enough for your liking.
Add a drizzle of olive oil and stir to prevent clumps, and allow the couscous to cool to room temperature while you chop all the veggies and herbs.
Add all the chopped veggies and herbs, as well as raisins (if using), and lemon juice to the bowl with the cooked couscous, and stir. Adjust the flavor with more salt, lemon juice, or olive oil. Enjoy immediately, or refrigerate for up to 24 hours to let the flavors meld.
Notes
Ingredient notes and substitutions
You can substitute small couscous with pearl couscous if you prefer, whole wheat couscous, or even use the traditional bulgur wheat. Just cook according to the package instructions.
You can also add other fresh herbs such as cilantro or chives, but do not skip mint or parsley, since they are the true stars of the show. Don't worry, the mint won't make the salad taste like toothpaste, it just gives it a refreshing flavor.
Freshly squeezed lemon juice works much better than bottled lemon juice. I love using this lemon squeezer when I need to squeeze just 1-2 tablespoons of lemon juice.
You can skip the turmeric if you don't have it, but if you give it a try, please don't skip the black pepper. Black pepper helps the body to absorb the curcumin in turmeric, (its anti-inflammatory component).
If you don't like the idea couscous salad with raisins, just skip them.
Try adding olives!
Onion: If you find onion to be too strong, you can chop it and mix it with the lemon juice while you prepare the rest of the ingredients. It will make the onion less pungent. You can also use red onion or green scallions, if you prefer.
Add some protein: A vegan protein, such as chickpeas or a vegan chick'n substitute would be great in this recipe if you want to keep it vegan. Grilled chicken or fish would be a great addition to this salad!
This salad will keep well up to 3-4 days when stored in the fridge in an air-tight container, but I find it best within the first 2 days, otherwise the cucumber gets too mushy for my liking.