Lebanese House Tabouleh

The night after crashing a well lubricated party at Aqua, where I’d seen media types get drunk and sweatily fondle each other in an attempt to forget their lost dreams and daily data entry, I was lying in a pool of canapé & champagne vomit (my own luckily) and felt something in the floors of my building. Not the usual post-apocalyptic rustlings, but the chaotic pulse of good house music. Needless to say I stirred the occupants of my room and went to investigate. In the basement, next to the laundry room, was a pool of strobe lights and a hub of people, one of my favourite sights. I moved onto the dance floor.

And if there’s one thing I can say about a two-day gyrating mess it’s that it builds up an appetite. After shaking my bones to some great beats, and being surprised by some sublimely good times, I pondered the usual equation [hunger = time to cook] and felt inspired to document the night a la mode.

This is the recipe inspired by my hazy memories of strange conversations with Lebanese bourgeois boys, muttering about burning tire mountains in an urban dessert, and a spattering of moments with most of Eastern Europe, all to the sound of the spinning decks.

It was time for a spot of cupboard raiding in several people’s rooms, during which time I found a couple of misshapen cigarettes and some suspect reading literature (never trust a pamphlet) as well as more edible treasure. I was lucky enough to come across some bulghar wheat, which was the perfect medium for this dish.

Tabouleh

100g feta

150g  Bulghur Wheat
1 pomegranate
50g chopped walnuts

25g pistachios
40g chopped fresh mixed herbs (mint, flat-leaf parsley, coriander)

100g rocket
Olive oil, to taste
Lemon juice, to taste

      1.   Cook the bulghur wheat for 10-15 minutes or until al dente. Leave to drain.

2.    Roll the pomegranate on a chopping board and then slice in half. Remove the seeds from the pomegranate, and discard any bitter white pith.

3.     Place the feta and pomegranate in a large mixing bowl with the walnuts, pistachios, fresh herbs, rocket and the warm bulghur wheat. Season well and drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice to taste.

What I love about this recipe is that as you bite into the pomegranate, the seeds burst in your mouth in a tiny explosion of taste. This, along with the contrast between the nutty bulghur wheat and freshness and zingy flavors of the herbs and lemon, creates a riot of flavour in your mouth. Every particle of taste is like a note of music in an electro EP. 

If you know of any good Lebanese house music that you think could be paired with my recipe please let me know… any suggestions welcome!