FALAFEL AND HUMMUS ( Middle Eastern Cuisine )

FALAFEL  & HUMMUS 

Falafel is a Middle-Eastern delicacy and goes really well with hummus. Both of these are full of proteins as they are made up of chickpeas (chana). Falafel rolls are also very famous. They are made by putting various kinds of sauces, falafel, hummus and lettuce/an exotic salad in a pita bread. 

Falafel is a very filling snack/main course item. It has a crunchy exterior and a gooey and soft interior. It requires the least efforts and is very similar to the Indian (mughlai) kebabs in shape. 

If I talk about hummus, it is rich and creamy in texture but not flowy. It has a very important spot in a lebanese platter, which has various kinds of Middle Eastern delicacies like falafel ,nachos, salad, pita breads etc.  Hummus contains copious amounts of olive oil in it. A big bowl of hummus may contain 5 tbsp of olive oil.

Besides the both of them being super nutritious, they are very scrumptious. All the ingredients used in the recipes are easily available at any super market/grocery store and can be usually found at one's place.

FALAFEL

INGREDIENTS:

1. 1 cup Chickpeas soaked overnight and boiled for 5 whistles with a pinch of baking soda

2. 5 garlic cloves ( roughly chopped)

3. 2 green chillies (roughly chopped)

4. 1/2 lemon squeezed

5. olive oil

6. 1 tsp red chilly powder

7. 1 tsp garam masala 

8. 1/2 cup coriander leaves (roughly chopped)

9. 1/2 inch ginger 

10. 1 onion (roughly chopped)

11. 1 tsp cumin seeds

12. 1 tsp coriander powder

13. Salt

HUMMUS (PRONUNCIATION: HUMMUS OR HOOMAS)

1. 1/4 cup White sesame seeds 
2. 2 tbsp Olive oil 
3.A pinch of Baking soda
4. 1/2 tbsp Lemon juice
5. 2 cloves GARLIC
6. 1 tsp Salt
7. Cumin powder
8. A cup of chickpeas (soacked overnight and boiled with a pinch of baking soda)
hot water (According to the consistency)

METHOD :

FALAFEL: 

1. In a food processer, add boiled and soaked chickpea, garlic cloves, ginger, green chillies ,onions, olive oil and lemon juice. Blend coarsely.

2. Now add in all the spices (red chilly powder, coriander powder, garam masala, cumin seeds, salt ) and coriander leaves. pulse the mixture till you get very small crumbs of the mixture.

3. Make sure not to grind it to a fine paste. Make round/flat balls/patties out of the mixture.

4. Now, heat some oil for deep frying. At medium hot oil, fry the falafel till it gets brown on the outside.

HUMMUS :

Tahini paste: ( The key ingredient for a creamy hummus)

Heat a pan and it it add the sesame seeds. Roast them till they release a nice aroma (don't wait for them to get brown). Now, grind them into a fine powder). Add 2 tbsp of olive oil and grind.

1. In a food processer, add soaked and boiled chickpeas, pour the tahini paste, lemon juice, garlic cloves, salt and cumin powder. Grind everything together.

2. Add 2 tbsp of olive oil and 2 tbsp of hot water.

3. The key to a creamy, smooth and rich hummus is the tahini paste and the hot water.

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HAPPY COOKING!