FALAFEL - A TASTE OF MIDDLE EAST

Falafel always remind me of Cairo and Alexandria, Egypt. Two weeks there, falafel seem to be my breakfast and dinner, without missed a single day. Just love it....either I bought it from the street hawkers or  from Mac Donald. In Egypt falafel is so popular that thatMcDonald's serves as "McFalafel" in all it's chain.

To those who are familiar with an Indian appetizer "masalodeh" or "vadai" made from dhal/lentils, falafel has the same similar taste and method of preparing, and to those who have not taste and curious what falafel are, here are the introductory excerpted  from wikipedia

Falafel (/fəˈlɑːfəl/; Arabic: فلافل‎, [falaːfil] ( listen)) is a deep fried ball or patty made from ground chickpeas and/or fava beans. Falafel is usually served in apita, which acts as a pocket, or wrapped in a flatbread known as lafa. The falafel balls are topped with salads, pickled vegetables, hot sauce, and drizzled with tahini-based sauces. Falafel balls may also be eaten alone as a snack or served as part of a meze.

Generally accepted to have first been made in Egypt, falafel has become a dish eaten throughout the Middle East. 

It's easy to make and you can have it with pita bread even without going to Middle East..so here's how you can have your own make FALAFEL.

Ingredients:

2 cups of dries chickpeas, soaked in water for 12 hours/ 2 cawan kacang kuda direndam semalaman atau  12 jam
Crumbs from 2 slices of white bread / serbuk roti dari 2 keping roti atau 1/2 cawan
5 cloves of garlic / 5 ulas bawang putih
2 teaspoon baking soda / 2 sdt baking powder
1/3 cup chopped parsley / 1/3 cawan daun pasli yang dicincang  boleh juga guna daun bawang
1/2 cup chopped coriander / 1/2 cawan daun ketumbar
1  small onion / 1 biji bawang besar dicincang
1 spoon of sesame seeds / 1 sdb bijan
1 teaspoon cumin spice / 1 sdt serbuk jintan manis
1 teaspoon paprika / 1 sdt serbuk paprika
Salt, pepper / garam dan lada sulah
Oil for deep frying / minyak untuk menggoreng

Preparation:

1. Wash the soaked chickpeas and put them in a food processor with the garlic, onion an d spices. Grind until you get a rough moist texture. Add a little water if needed./ Bersihkan kacang kuda dan kisar, jangan terlalu halus

2. Move the mixture into a large bowl, add the rest of the ingredients and put aside, covered, for 30-60 minutes./ Masukkan kacang yang dikisar kedalam mangkuk dan tos dan rehatkan sekurang-kurangnya  1/2 jam.

3. Warm the oil – it should be hot, not boiling. Add the baking soda to the mixture and knead a little. / Campurkan semua bahan dan gaul rata

4. Wet your hands and shape little balls. Fry until you get a deep brown shade. Serve hot!/ Basahkan tangan dan bentukkan adunan kepada beberapa bebola kecil. Panaskan minyak dan goreng kekuningan.

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Makanan Timur Tengah yang menjadi kegilaan saya ketika berada di bumi Mesir. Dua minggu di sana inilah makanan yang saya makan sebagai sarapan mahupun makan malam. Tak kira samada beli di gerai-gerai tepi jalan mahupun di Mac Donald. Menariknya falafel ini ialah kerana ianya begitu popular dikalangan masyarakat Timur Tengah, Mac Donald telah menjadikanya sebagai salah satu menunya. Bagi yang belum pernah mencuba, falafel ini rasanya seakan masalodeh, kalau masalodeh dibuat dari kacang dhal, falafel pula dibuat dari kacang kuda. Ramuan dan cara membuatnya sama macam masalodeh. Kalau bentuk masalodeh leper dan bulat falafel pula lebih kepada bentuk bebola kecil. Biasanya dimakan bersama roti pita dan tahini. Menarik dan sedap...sesuatu yang anda perlu cuba!!!!!

Next Post - Baked Macaroni aka Maccaroni Schotel

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