Egypt – Falafel

DESCRIPTION OF THE DISH

Falafel is an all time favorite Egyptian street food which is basically chickpeas or fava beans mixed with garlic, onions ,spices and lastly breadcrumbs all combined together and then fried in oil. After frying it gets an golden brown color and a crispy look which gives out the true taste and feeling of this dish. In the streets of Egypt this dish is very famous as it is eaten merely everyday. Falafel is also known as Tamiya but they are made with different main ingredients. Falafel is usually made with fava beans and Tamiya is made with chickpeas but both of them are rich in flavor. Falafel is usually eaten with an dipping sauce or an chutney on the side and sometimes ketchup is also an option. This makes it very smooth to eat and gives more flavor to it. It is also served inside of a bread or as a sandwich at some stalls or during a get together or if made at home. It is one of the best foods which can be eaten in Egypt and it is considered to be a travelers delight.

HISTORY

The origin of Falafel is said to be in Egypt itself but is considered to be 50/50. It is said that this dish was first made in the 4th century during the time on Lent. The fava bean version is said to be made at that time and the people of Copts used to eat it. But the strange thing was that the first known sign of this dish came into existence in the 19th century. There are lots of claims which date this dish back to the time of Pharaoh but it can be taken with a pinch of salt because oil was too expensive at that time and frying a dish was impossible. Soon when this dish started to get popular more variants of this dish started to emerge and in the eastern parts of Egypt chickpeas replaced fava beans and the rest is history.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED TO PREPARE THE FILLING

• chickpeas 2 cups

• Breadcrumbs 4 tbsp.

• Oil (for frying)
• Onion 1 (minced)

• Garlic cloves 2-3

• Salt 1¼ tsp.

• Pepper 1/4 tsp.

• Cumin 1 tsp

• Paprika 1 tsp.

• Cilantro 1/2 bunch

• Parsley 1/3 bunch

• Baking soda 2 tsps.

INSTRUCTION TO PREPARE THE FILLING

• Take a bowl and add the above mentioned amount of dried chickpeas in it and add some water in into it and set the bowl aside overnight.

• On the next day take out the chickpeas from the bowl and rinse it and set it aside for later use.
• Set up your blender and add the given amount of cilantro , garlic and onions in it.

• Blend until the texture is smooth.
• Now add the chickpeas inside the blender along with salt, pepper , cumin , paprika, parsley and baking soda.

• Blend all until a crumby texture is achieved.
• Take out this mixture into a bowl and add breadcrumbs over it and mix them.

• Once mixed cover the bowl and let it cool in fridge for 1 hour.
• Your filling is ready.

INSTRUCTIONS TO FRY

• Add the oil in the fryer and let it heat.
• Take out the bowl of the filling from the fridge and make small balls of the filling with your hands.

• Place the balls of filling in the fryer and fry them at 180 C.
• Fry them all in batches and once fried place them on a dish and remove the excess oil.

• Finally serve them with a side sauce of your choice.
• Your dish is ready
• Enjoy

TIME REQUIRED

• PREPERATION TIME: 1 hour
• COOKING TIME : 30 mins
• TOTAL TIME : 1 hour and 30 minutes
• YIELDS : 6-7 servings

NUTRITION INFORMATION

• Calories   335
• Protein 12.3 g
• Fat 16.2g
• Fiber 6 g
• Carbs 31.4 g
• Iron 23%
• Magnesium 18.2%
• Vitamin B6 92%