Falafel
Falafel is deep fried veggie balls and it is prepared by using veggies like chickpeas and fava beans. It is an easy to prepare traditional Egyptian as well as Middle Eastern food. Usually it is served in Pita, which works as a pocket type wrapper for the balls. In UAE sometimes Falafel is served with flatbread called as taboon. In Middle East it is also known as Ta’amia. It is one of the most popular side dishes in UAE, which you can easily make in your kitchen.
Ingredients:
- Mixed beans: 1 x 400 g tin
- Chickpeas : 1 x 400 g tin
- Lemon: 1 piece,
- Harissa: 1 tablespoon,
- Allspice : 1 heaped teaspoon
- Plain flour: 1 heaped tablespoon
- Fresh coriander leaves: 1 bunch
- Parsley: 1 bunch
- Cumin powder: 3-4 tablespoon
- Milkio’s Ghee
For the sides
- 2 mixed-Color peppers
- Onions: 4 spring
- Whole-wheat tortillas: 8 small
- Lingham’s chilli sauce : 1 tablespoon
- low-fat cottage cheese: 250g
- Pickled red cabbage- optional.
Cooking Method
- Soak the chickpeas and beans in two separate bowls with plenty of normal water. Leave them overnight in water. Drain and spread them on to a clean tea towel to dry in morning.
- Place all the beans and half of the chickpeas into a food processor and keep on whizzing until the mix gets smooth: however take care of the load of your processor.
- Now you can add parsley, coriander leaves, salt, hot pepper, garlic, cumin, and spring onions and whiz again, until all ingredients get well combined.
- Finally, add the remaining chickpeas, fresh herbs, and pulse until thy get completely chopped and well combined, but not totally mashed – the mixture need to be clumpy with chickpeas.
- Dash in the baking powder and 4 tablespoons of flour and pulse. Add sufficient bulgur or flour so that the dough can be formed in small balls and doesn’t stick to hands.
- Put all the falafel balls into a bowl and place in a refrigerator, covered, for 3-4 hours.
- Heat 5cm Milkio’s Ghee in a deep pan at 170C/350F temperature, then fry the falafel balls in batches and drain on kitchen paper.
- You can make a side dip with all ingredients mixed and blended in mixer.
- Serve Falafel balls with tahini sauce (Tahini is an oily paste made from ground sesame seeds. It is widely available in UAE grocery markets.), grilled flatbreads, and plenty of salad.
You may garnish falafel in authentic Israeli style also: use these condiments: Harissa hot sauce, pickled turnip, and sauerkraut.