Lebanese  Style  Tabouli

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Bulgar/bulgur  wheat , dry (can be bought in AEON)
• 2 -3 cups cold water
• 1 ½ teaspoons salt
• ¼ cup fresh lemon or ¼ cup lime juice
• 1 teaspoon fresh garlic , crushed
• ½ teaspoon dried mint
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• ¹⁄₈; cup olive oil
• fresh black pepper
• 1 cup parsley , freshly chopped and packed
• ½ cup scallion , chopped (include the greens)
• 2 medium tomatoes , diced

Directions:

1. Prepare the bulgar by soaking it for 2-3 hours in cold water. Most recipes that use bulgur wheat instruct you to use boiling water, but this "cooks" the wheat a bit and makes it mushy and sticky. Soaking in cold water results in a fluffier grain that doesn't hold onto the water. This gives it more capacity to absorb the liquids in the ingredients, without getting soggy. Check it after an hour or two to see if it's gotten to a pleasing texture. It should be "al dente" like good pasta: still offering some resistance to the tooth.
2. When it reaches the "al dente" stage, drain it thoroughly by lining a colander or large strainer with cheesecloth. Dump the wet bulgur into the cheesecloth, gather up the corners and squeeze the water out of the wheat. While preparing the other ingredients, let the damp wheat sit for another hour, stirring and tossing it from time to time, to fluff it and dry it.
3. Add the lemon juice, garlic, oil, mint and seasonings and mix thoroughly.
4. Add the chopped parsley and onions and toss everything together.
5. Just before serving, add the chopped tomatoes. Add seasonings.