Hello all!
Welcome to anoher of my easy peasy recipes!
Today the turn is for Falafel!
I'll show you how I made these yummy croquets and also, how you can make a Shawarma Sandwich with them for a hearty and 100% veggie meal.
**Falafel **is a Middle Eastern dish that basicly consist in a croquette made out of Chickpeas and spices, also they have onions, garlic and parsley, but the recipe may change depending on where it is made. I usually use just that and love to eat it alone or in Shawarma.
The Chickpeas
Chickpeas are a good source of protein and are tasty and also, a good substitute for meat. I'm not going to talk about nutrition facts or anything like that because I'm not an expert, but, they are good for you, and I speak from experience.
I got mine very cheap at the local supermarket and I put them on water to hidrate them. The original recipe for Falafel requires a Food Processer so you don't have to cook the Chickpeas. But I don't have that gadget (I don't even have a blender) and that's why I did cook mine, then drained them to get all the water and then mashed them into a paste.
Then I put minced onions with parsley and garlic, cumin, salt and pepper. I was a little dry so a sprinkled some water just to bind it better.
The Croquettes
After that rested at least half an hour on the fridge, I heated some oil and made round shaped patties. Again, since the original recipe uses a food processer, the mixture is a thick paste and so, it is easy to make balls instead of patties, like fritters if you will.
I like my version, modesty aside, because it's easy to handle and doesn't require that much work.
Anyways, after they're golden brown on each side, you have a tasty Falafel ready to enjoy.
The Shawarma Sandwich
The word Shawarma has a reference to the way the meat is cooked in a huge spinning vertical rotisserie or spit (See Wikipedia). The sandwich is prepared with that meat on a Pita Bread sauces and veggies.
Our version in Venezuela has many variants but, I like to stick to the classic as much as I can. I don't have a spinning roaster or anything but I try to replicate the spices and stuffings the sandwich originaly has. My favorite is for sure the falafel filling wich has nothing to envy to the beef or chicken versions of it.
I like to put some Hummus into the bread and lemon-garlic mayo. A little of Tabbouleh (without bulgur because I didn't find the right kind) and that's that.
The Recipe
For the Falafel
250gr of Chickpeas
2 small onions 3 cloves of garlic
1 tbsp of ground cumin
Salt and Pepper to taste
For the Tabbouleh
3 medium Tomatoes
1 medium Onion
2 Cups of finelly chopped parsley.
Lemon Juice
Salt and Pepper to Taste
For the Pita Bread
3 Cups of All Purpose Flour
1tbsp of Instant Yeast
150ml of tepid water
1tsp of salt
Preparation:
Hidrate the Chickpeas over night preferably.
If you have a food processer, drain the peas and put them in the processer with everything else until you get a thick paste.
If you don't have that appliance, cook them until they're tender and drain them to get all of excess water. Leave them be for about a half an hour and then, mash them using a potato masher. Add the rest of the ingredients: the minced onion, garlic and parsley, and the spices. Let that cool for another half an hour in the fridge.
Then fry them in hot oil until they're golden brown on both sides.
The bread is easy, just combine everything into a smooth dough and rest it for 20 minutes. after that, take the portions of the dough a flatten them as big as you want. Cook them in a pan and cover them with a cloth until you're ready to serve.
The Tabbouleh, also easy, chopp everything and season to taste.
For the Lemon Garlic Mayo, mash 2 cloves of garlic with salt just to get a paste. Add 3 tablespoons of Mayo, 1 tablespoon of Lemon Juice and you're good to go.
The Hummus I got it from a local store.
There you have it, just as good as the ones you get at any fast-food chain in your city!
Let me know what you think in the comment section!
Till next Time!!
