Tag Archives: cucumber

Bulgur Wheat Salad

29 Saturday Jul 2023

Posted by in salads, Vegan, Vegetable Dishes

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As promised the recipe for the bulgur wheat salad that was part of my Turkish lunch.

Makes 4 generous portions

150 grams bulgur wheat

80 ml boiling water

200 grams grated soft tomato flesh

1 tomato – cut into small cubes

1/2 cucumber – peeled and cut into small cubes

2 tablespoons finely chopped spring onions

1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

fresh green chilli – finely chopped – to taste

salt and freshly ground black pepper

sprigs of fresh basil roughly chopped

black olives to garnish

Start to prepare the salad a couple of hours before you plan to eat.

Put the wheat in a large bowl and pour over the boiling water. Stir to mix well and leave to soak for five minutes.

Next grate in the tomato. I had a nice big beef tomato that had gone soft and watery. Cut the tomato in half across its equator and the grate the flesh side on a coarse grater, seeds included, until you are left with just the skin in your hand. Bin the skin.

Mix the tomato into the wheat and leave to steep for 20 minutes.

Add the rest of the ingredients except the olives and basil and mix well.

Leave to steep until you are ready to serve.

Put the salad in your serving dish and decorate with olives and basil. Enjoy 😊

Tabouleh of Khorasan

28 Saturday Mar 2020

Posted by in Main Courses, Starters, Vegan

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Khorasan is a type of wheat that has large grains with a rich nutty flavour, which I love in a salad. It’s a relative of durum wheat which originated in the Middle East where it is still cultivated. I buy both the grains and flour from an ecological producer here in Spain. If anyone would like their details message me and I will pass them on.

This salad is based on Tabouleh where I have replaced the normal bulgur wheat with Khorasan wheat, and then added seeds and nuts for protein and extra texture.

For 2 portions

100 grams Khorasan wheat grains

1 large tomato – diced

2 tablespoons diced cucumber

2 tablespoons diced raw kohl rabi

1 spring onion – finely chopped

1 heaped tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

2 tablespoons crushed dry roasted hazelnuts

juice of 1/2 a lemon

2-3 tablespoons olive oil

large bunch fresh flat leaved parsley, tarragon and mint – chopped

salt and freshly ground black pepper

The Khorasan needs to be soaked, either overnight in cold water, or a couple of hours before cooking pour boiling water over the grains.

Cook the Khorasan in salted water for 20-30 minutes until soft. Drain and let cool a little.

Put into a salad bowl with the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Check the balance of lemon and oil adding extra of either if needed. Check seasoning.

If you can manage to let the salad sit for an hour, I almost never can, the flavours will have blended and developed to a richer taste.

Cucumber and Enoki Mushroom Salad

04 Saturday Jan 2020

Posted by in Vegan, Vegetable Dishes

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This is a version of a salad that I had in Restaurant Xiao ge zi in Valencia. It has taken three attempts to get the dressing right, but I think I’m there now.

The original salad had as well as the cucumber and mushrooms, the carrot slivers and thin strips of red pepper. For this version I’ve left out the peppers and added sliced radishes and alfalfa sprouts, which went particularly well with the dressing. Double the amount of dressing was used in the original salad, but as this was to go with the delicate stir fried smoked tofu, I pared it down. If you want a picante salad then stir in chilli oil at the end to suit your taste.

The salad needs to marinate for about an hour so start your preparation early enough to allow for this.


1 small cucumber – peeled and cut into long thin slices

enoki mushrooms – I used fresh thin and plumper ones, but you can use the dried thin enoki.

1 carrot – peeled and cut into slivers with your peeler

Radish – sliced

alfalfa sprouts

For the dressing –

1 tablespoon light soy sauce

1 tablespoon teriyaki sauce

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

Mix all the ingredients together and leave to marinate for about an hour at room temperature.If you are using dried mushrooms, marinate until the mushrooms are tender.