Tabbouleh with Bahārāt

In addition to the ingredients you’d expect with parsley being the star of the dish, I also added in a home made Bahārāt. This worked really well with the lamb. Bahārāt, the Arabic word for 'spices' is used in Middle Eastern and Greek cuisine. It went really well with the Dukkah lamb and takes no time to make if you have a spice grinder.

This makes about 100g and keeps in an airtight container.

Ingredients

2 tbsps black peppercorns

2 tbsps coriander seeds

2 tbsps cumin seeds

1 tbsp allspice berries

1 tsp cardamom seeds

1/2 tsp whole cloves

3 inch cinnamon stick

2 tbsps sweet paprika

1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

You will only use some of these spices once in a blue moon, so it's worth buying them by weight as you need them. Clancy's in Cardiff market is brilliant for this.

Method:

Grind the whole spices until they resemble a course powder and then add the paprika, nutmeg and combine.

Tabbouleh

Serves 4

45g medium bulgar wheat

400g ripe tomatoes

6 spring onions

2 lemons, juice only

3 tsps Bahārāt

175g flat leaf parsley, finely chopped

45g mint, finely chopped

4 tbsps extra virgin olive oil

Pomegranate seeds to garnish

Method

1. Rinse the bulgar wheat under cold running water until the water runs clear. Put in a bowl.

2. Add boiling water, cover and leave for about 10 minutes. Drain well.

3. Meanwhile, finely chop the spring onion and the tomatoes (with the seeds removed as they add too much moisture). Add both to the bulgar wheat along with the lemon juice and Bahārāt.

4. Add the chopped parsley, mint and olive oil. Toss well, taste and season. Add more salt, lemon juice or Bahārāt Scatter the pomegranate on top before serving.