Tempeh tabbouleh

That is mostly herbs

Aug 06, 2026

∙ Paid

I’ve been wanting to write about how the key to a good grain salad is using fewer grains. Ideally the ratio of stuff to grains is at least 2:1. Grains make great accessories, but when they take center stage, they can be too toothsome, too chewy — so substantial they create a dense salad.

Tabbouleh already understood this. The Levantine dish with roots in Lebanon, Syria, and Palestine is an herb salad that has bulgur in it. The bulgur has an important job: Its itty bits add texture and nuttiness; absorb and carry the oil, lemon, and spices; and ground the buoyant fresh vegetables. But it’s a background role, one tempeh also plays surprisingly well.

Golden, craggy, cumin-spiced bits of tempeh are earthy, toasty, chewy, and subtly crisp. They’re not as small as bulgur, making a coarser, chunkier salad. Eat it as a main dish, or as part of a spread with dips and pickles and grilled meat, or swaddled in a pita with yogurt. It’s in no way traditional, but tabbouleh wasn’t a grain salad anyways.