Arabic Cusine

Falafel with Tahina Sauce

INGREDIENTS:
500 mL (2 cups) dried chick peas (absolutely not canned)
1 medium onion quartered
2 cloves garlic
2-3 slices stale bread
50 mL (1/4 cup) parsley
1/3 head sweet red pepper
10 mL (2 tsp) salt
3 mL (3/4 tsp) black pepper
10 mL (2 tsp) cumin
10 mL (2 tsp) oregano
10 mL (2 tsp) ground coriander
5 mL (1 tsp) red hot pepper flakes (optional)
20 mL (4 tsp) flour
10 mL (2 tsp) baking powder
50 mL (1/4 cup) water
5 mL (1 tsp) baking powder
125 mL (1/2 cup) water
vegetable oil for frying

METHOD:
Place peas in a large bowl, cover generously with water and soak overnight.

Drain peas. Add onion, garlic, bread, parsley, and red sweet pepper. Run through the fine blade of a meat grinder. (You may process in food
processor until mealy.) Add spices, flour, 10 mL (2 tsp) baking powder and water. Mix well.

In a small dish mix the remaining baking powder and water. Use it to
moisten the palm of your hands and form balls of the chick peas mixture the size of walnuts, then flatten a bit.

Deep fry in oil at medium high heat. Serve piping hot.

Arrange in halved loaves of pita (Arabic bread), topped with salad
vegetables and tahina sauce. Some people love it topped with sauerkraut, wedges of tomato and tahina sauce, (recipe to follow). Hot pepper may also be sprinkled on top.

Makes 5-7 servings.

TAHINA SAUCE

INGREDIENTS
175 mL (3/4 cup) tahina - sesame seed paste - stir tehina before measuring
1 clove garlic, crushed
juice of 1 1/2 - 2 lemons
175 mL (3/4 cup) water
5 mL (1 tsp) salt
50 mL (1/4 cup) finely chopped parsley

METHOD:
In a deep bowl beat the tahina with the crushed garlic and lemon juice
until creamy. Add water bit by bit, beating well after each addition If
using blender put all the ingredients in and blend.

Add salt and parsley and stir. Refrigerate until meal time.

Spoon over individual servings of baked or fried fish, or over falafel in
Pita (Arabic bread).

Makes 5 servings

A word of caution: If tempted to mix sauce in food processor, make sure to not over-beat. Over-beating will make sauce fluffly - full of air.
This Month's Recipe(s)
Falafel with Tahina Sauce  (Mrs. Nadia Farah)

This Month's Desert
 Ruz Bihaleeb - Rice Pudding
(ArabView Network).

 

 

 

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