perfecting tabbouleh

Here's my version of tabbouleh

• 2 cups boiling water
• 1 cup (240ml) bulgur wheat (#2, medium size)
• 1 bunch (240ml) fresh parsley, chopped (the more the better)
  
• 1/2 cup (120ml) fresh mint, chopped
• 1 large tomato, peeled, seeded, and diced
• 1 cup (240ml) green onions, chopped
• 1 medium onion, grated
• 1/2 cup (100ml) extra virgin olive oil
• 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 tsp salt, plus more to taste
  
• 1 tsp fresh ground black pepper, plus more to taste
  
• dash of cinnamon (optional)
  

1. Soak bulgur in water for 15 minutes. Drain and squeeze out as much water as possible. Refrigerate until cool.
   
2. Peel, seed, and dice the tomato. Chop the green onions, the white portion finely, the tops around medium. Finely chop the parsley and mint.
3. Mix the bulgur, tomato, green onions, grated onion, parsley, and mint in a large bowl. Whisk the olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper together and pour over the salad. Stir through, and season to taste with salt and pepper.
4. Refrigerate for an hour or so to allow the flavors to meld.

My modifications:

• Original recipe called for 1/2 cup lemon juice. Too much juice, I think. 1/3 cup seems more right, esp. based on the 1/2 cup of olive oil, gives more of a dressing feel. Also seems like too much liquid. We'll see how it looks after it sits in the fridge for a bit.
  
• Didn't have green onions, so used 2 large shallots. Probably could have used more.
  
• Another option is to add cucumber. I didn't, but would probably be good.
  

Check out Wiki Cookbooks for more tabbouleh recipes