TABOULI- recipe lost in translation?

Tabouli , for those who haven't had the opportunity to enjoy this delightfully tasty salad, you're really missing out. It is a salad based on frsh parsley, finely chopped, a hint of mint leaves, finely chopped, spring onions, tomato, lemon juice, olive oil and cracked bulgar wheat. It is a middle eastern salad and is usually eaten in a pocket pita bread.
  It is available in a dried and bagged box at Wally-World. The recipe on the box, when it comes to adding the tomato, says to remove the seeds.  WRONG!! When removing the seeds, what you need to do is remove any LEMON seeds from the fresh squeezed lemons...not the tomato seeds as the box indicates. I feel that whoever translated the recipe from Arabic to English, overlooked this. Can you picture yourself picking out tomato seeds??? You would be there forever. Hope this helps someone.

If you're adding fresh tomatoes to the tabouli, it can be a good idea to seed them, in my experience. Otherwise, the tabouli can get very watery in no time and dilute the other flavors. Every Middle Eastern and Persian person I've cooked with always removes the seeds from the tomatoes by using a spoon to take out the seeds and the gelatinous stuff, too.  My least favorite part of making tabouli is chopping the parsley! 

It's easy to remove the seeds from a tomato....cut it in half at through the middle opposite the stem in other words through it equator.

Then just give the tomato a good squeeze...easy.

Zaatar, do you have a recipe for Tabouli you could share?  Thanks.

i've got one---

Tabouli

2 cups cracked wheat (bulghur)
2 cups very hot water
1 cucumber, chopped
2 small tomatoes, chopped
1 bunch green onions, (8) sliced
1/2 cup fresh chopped mint
2 cups fresh chopped parsley
1 clove garlic, minced (optional)
Dressing:
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon pepper
2 teaspoons salt, or to taste

Soak the cracked wheat in the hot water until the water is absorbed, about 30 minutes.

Drain any excess water, if necessary, and squeeze dry.

Combine the salad ingredients, including wheat, in a medium bowl.

Mix the dressing ingredients together and stir into the salad mixture.

Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Makes about 8 cups, 12 to 16 servings.

the seeds of the tomato are where most of the acid is, so, removing them is always a good idea - whether you are using the raw or cooked.
 
i've never had tabouli - have heard of it; never was sure what it was. 
 
sounds yummy!!!!  thanks for posting the recipe!!

At least twice a month with homous, pita, and falafel from the local middle eastern place I like.