Taboulé à la française
Welcome back to our exploration of French cuisine, vegan! Today, we’re excited to share the third recipe in our series: Taboulé à la Française. Taboulé, a refreshing salad typically made with bulgur or couscous, originally hails from Morocco, but it has become a beloved staple in French cuisine. This delightful dish is traditionally vegan, requiring no modifications to fit into a plant-based diet. Taboulé à la Française is a simple couscous, packed with fresh herbs, ripe tomatoes, crisp cucumbers, crunchy peppers, and marinated with a light dressing. To elevate the flavors even further, I’ve incorporated a touch of lemon zest into the classic recipe. This simple addition infuses the taboulé with an extra burst of citrusy brightness, enhancing its Mediterranean character.
There are various ways to prepare taboulé, such as the popular Taboulé Oriental, and for those looking to add a Moroccan twist, tossing in some raisins can provide a delightful hint of sweetness. The zest pairs wonderfully with the fresh parsley and mint, creating a harmonious blend of flavors that will transport your taste buds to sunny, coastal regions. Whether you’re serving it as a side salad or a main dish, our Taboulé à la Française is sure to become a staple in your vegan culinary repertoire.
Note: I usually cook without onion and garlic, because they are both too strong for our digestive system. If you feel this salad needs one or both, feel free to add red onion and some garlic, finely chopped.
This salad is a perfect side dish, for example in my Taboulé, Crème de Champignons & Pommes Duchesse recipe. Bon appétit!
Taboulé à la française (French Couscous Salad – no onions, no garlic)
Ingredients
- 1 cup couscous I used leftover couscous from the day before
- 1 cup vegetable broth only if you have no leftover couscous
- 1/2 cucumber
- 1-2 ripe tomatos
- 1/2 green pepper
- 1 handful olives
- 1 handful fresh herbs or dried herbes de Provence, or both 🙂
- 4 tbsp olive or sesame oil
- 1/2 lemon zest and juice
- salt and pepper
Instructions
Prepare the couscous
- If you are using leftover couscous, skip this step. Place the couscous in a bowl or pot.Seperately, bring the vegetable broth to a boil. I used 1 cup of water with 1/2 tbsp of bio vegetable broth powder. Salt to taste.Pour the boiling broth over the couscous. Only stir with a fork, and only once or twice! Let the couscous sit, covered, until all the liquid is absorbed (approx. 10 minutes).Lightly flock the couscous with a fork to seperate the grains.
Prepare the vegetables
- Peel and cut the cucumber in small pieces. Cut the tomatos in wedges, take out the seeds, cut the flesh in small pieces.Deseed the pepper and cut it in small pieces.
- Chop the fresh herbs.
Prepare the dressing
- Grate the lemon. Mix together the oil, the juice and the zest of the lemon. Season with salt and pepper. Here you can add some herbes de Provence, if you like.
Assemble
- Combine well all the ingredients. Place the olives on top. Let the salad marinate in the fridge for 1-2 hours.
- This salad is a delicious side dish for a french inspired main course with champignon sauce, some jackfruit sausages or similar (check out my recipes for more inspiration).