falafel

I have to admit I love falafel, ever since the first time I tried falafel I loved it, it wasn't an acquired taste or something that grew on me, I loved it, I always did. The one little problem? It always gave me a stomach ache. So I stayed away, I loved the idea of it, not the reality.

I was suddenly re-introduced to falafel the other day at work. Will was having these delightful little treats for lunch. He had pita bread, hummus, and fried eggplant, it looked and sounded great! The best part? They were homemade. It never, in all my falafel days, occurred to me that I could make them! (This is starting to sound too much like the Vietnamese sandwiches, but bear with me, it gets better).

Falafel is a fried ball of spiced chickpeas, that is traditionally Jewish, and it is said to date back to biblical times. Nowadays, falafel can be found all throughout the Middle East and in India and Pakistan as well.

On Sunday we were also doing a ‘technology Sabbath’ at home, so naturally, I decided falafel would be the perfect choice! I couldn’t consult the computer for recipes, so I had to rely on memory (what Will had told me), and on cooking savvy. I, for example, based my falafel on meatball principles and used breadcrumbs and an egg to bind the mixture together, instead of flour which is what is normally used, this resulted in ‘crunchier’ falafel. The crunchy falafel won me ed-points, I got a five this time, but since I usually get a five, I don’t know how reliable these ed-points are. I have my own little rating system: 'blog-worthy' o not, so you can be sure that whatever is here has passed at least two rating systems.

I served the falafel over eggplant, accompanied by a yogurt-parsley sauce, I highly recommend them on computer-free days. Also, the homemade version only results in a stomach ache if you use the same oil for 45 to 60 batches (not recommended). Enjoy!


R E C I P E

1 medium can of chickpeas - mashed
1egg
¼ cup of chopped parsley
½ teaspoon of cumin
½ teaspoon of pepper
1 teaspoon of salt
1small clove of garlic - mashed
¼ cup of breadcrumbs + more for breading
Frying oil

Combine all the ingredients until they form a paste, yes with your hands. Form ping-pong size balls. Roll in bread crumbs (optional), and fry. You can deep-fry them, or shallow-fry them like I did, just make sure you turn them so they get a nice golden color all over.

* as Ed was reading this post he said out loud 'ping-pong sized balls? I'd make 'em bigger, man!" See how I get those fives?

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mujadrah

Last night I felt like cooking something different, and since I hadn’t posted in such a long time, I thought I would come up with something inventive, an ‘eat your dinner’ original recipe! I had about half a cup each of lentils and brown rice, and some onions and garlic, which sounded good already, and I used lots of cumin and curry to give it a nice smoky taste. Turns out, unknowingly, I made and Arab dish! So much for inventive! I ‘googled’ rice and lentils, and not only did I find out my recipe was quite faithful to the original, but I also found out it had a much better name that rice and lentils! Mujadrah! (Pronounced M-Jed'der-a). Anyway, this dish is really good, I highly recommend it. It is also vegetarian and very inexpensive. So here is it! Enjoy.

R E C I P E

This recipe is good for two people, just double, triple if you have more people or are really hungry.

½ cup of French lentils
½ cup of brown rice
1 onion
2 cloves of garlic
1 small bouillon cube
1 teaspoon of cumin
1 teaspoon of curry powder
Pepper to taste
1 tablespoon of vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups of water

Sauté the onions and garlic in the oil. Add the spices, the rice and the lentils. Cook for a couple of minutes, making sure everything is coated with the spices. Add the water and the bouillon cube. When the water starts to boil, turn the temperature down and cover. When all the water has been absorbed or evaporated your dish is ready! If either your rice or your lentils are still hard after all the water has been absorbed, this could happen if your grains have been in your cupboard for a long time, just add more and repeat the process until they are done (boil, lower temp, and cover).
I hope you enjoy this, we sure did!


* I just read this is the dish (pottage) that Jacob sold to his brother, Esau, in exchange for his birthright. Genesis 25:29. People make up all sorts of stuff!

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