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Salad

Gabbouli

A New Guinean salad made with bulgur wheat, herbs, lemon juice, olive oil, onion, and tomatoes.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 12 ingredients
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Why it works: Oregano and basil match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,390 recipes. Both carry estragole, which smells anise, licorice. The science ↓

Gabbouli

Timeten minutes

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. Mix the bulgur wheat in a large bowl with all the dried herbs (if you have mint, use that instead of oregano and basil; but most people don't have mint).

  2. Add the two cups of boiling water, stir briefly to mix, then cover and let stand for ten minutes.

  3. If there's any excess water, drain it off.

Dress and serve

  1. Add the olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper, and onion and stir well.

  2. Add the fresh tomatoes last, sprinkling them across the top.

  3. Chill before serving, if possible.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

210Calories
3 gProtein
14 gFat
21 gCarbs

Counts 9 of 12 ingredients. The other 3 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 9 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Olive Oil1 tbsp (14g)119
Onion1 medium (110g)44
Tomato1 medium (123g)22
Lemonjuice of 1 lemon (48ml)12
Black Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Oregano1 tsp dried (1.8g)5
Parsley1 tbsp chopped fresh (3.8g)1
Basil5 leaves fresh (2.5g)1
Salt1 tsp (6g)0
Bulgurnot in our table0
Wheatnot in our table0
Waternot in our table0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Oregano + basiltop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together1,390 recipes

    Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).

  2. Parsley + lemontop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together14,037 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).

  3. Basil + lemontop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together1,823 recipes

    Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).

  4. Parsley + basiltop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together2,351 recipes

    Shared aroma: myristicin (spice, warm).

  5. Parsley + peppertop 2% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together34,122 recipes

    Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Bulgur wheat
Absorbs the boiling water and swells into the tender, chewy body of the salad.
Boiling water
Hydrates the bulgur so it softens without needing cooking over heat.
Oil
Adds fat and richness, coating the grains and carrying the herb flavour.
Lemon juice
Adds acidity that brightens the dish and balances the oil and salt.
Red onion
Adds sharp, pungent flavour that mellows as the salad rests.
Fresh tomatoes
Add moisture and fresh sweetness, contributing juiciness to the salad.

The step that matters

Drain excess water after soaking. Bulgur that stays waterlogged turns mushy and dilutes the dressing, so any standing liquid should be poured off before the oil and lemon are added.

Swap the onion

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (bulgur, wheat, parsley, oregano, basil, lemon, pepper):

  1. Eggplantfits better
  2. Carrotfits better
  3. Tomatofits better
  4. Onionthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against bulgur, wheat, parsley, oregano, basil, lemon, pepper. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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