I love food so I love to dine at fine restaurants. I enjoy being served on white linen and I savor a fine cup of coffee and dessert. But there is one exception: I love to go to a certain fast food restaurant around the corner to eat a falafel sandwich.
I also enjoy Baba Ganoush, Hummus, and Parsley Salad with Tahini and Spicy Garlic Sauce. Because of my culinary curiosity, I always come home to my kitchen and make these things with my selected ingredients.
My family is my fan club. My friends and my cousins favor falafel over any food item from India.
I am sharing my recipe with you. I don't know if it can be called authentic or not, but I enjoy it every time I make it.
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: Approximately 1 Hour
Serves: 4-5
Falafel Patties or Balls
Ingredients:
| 2 | Cups | Lentils |
| 1 | Cup | Chickpeas, dried not canned |
| 1 | Head | Lettuce, washed & chopped |
| | (can be mixed with romaine for nutritional value) |
| 1 | Bunch | Parsley |
| 1-3 | | Green Chili Pepper or Jalapeño |
| 1 | Small | Fresh Ginger |
| 4-5 | Cloves | Garlic, peeled |
| 1 | Tsp | Crushed Red Pepper Flakes |
| | Salt to Taste |
| 1 | Tsp | Cumin Seeds |
| 1 | Tsp | Coriander Seeds |
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How to Prepare:
- Wash lentil and chickpeas very thoroughly and check for stones if any.
- Soak lentil and chickpeas for at least for three hours in warm water.
- Cut and chop parsley, green chili, ginger and fresh garlic.
- Add salt, cumin and coriander seeds and red pepper flakes.
- Grind all of the ingredients together and make a batter.
- Heat the oil on medium heat in a frying pan.
- Make small balls from batter and drop them with a teaspoon to fry them in hot oil.
- Falafel patties are ready for the sandwich.
Sauce recipes below:
Green Tahini Sauce
Ingredients:
| 1 | Bunch | Cilantro, washed & chopped |
| 2 | TBsp | Sesame Seeds |
| | Salt to taste |
| 1 | Cup | Cucumber, chopped garden or seedless |
| 1 | Small | Ginger & Chili (to own taste) |
| 1 | Cup | Sour Cream or Drained Yogurt or |
| | Garlic Cucumber Dressing with Buttermilk (from store) |
| 1 | Tsp | Cumin Seeds |
| 3-5 | Cloves | Garlic |
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Blend all ingredients together and green sauce is ready for Falafel sandwich.
Red Sauce
Ingredients:
| 4-5 | Cloves | Fresh Peeled Garlic |
| 1 | | Red Hot Chili or Red Bell Pepper (for mild taste) |
| | Salt to taste |
| 10 | Oz. | Tomato Sauce Can |
| 2 | TBsp | Red Pepper Flakes |
| 1 | TBsp | Lemon Juice |
| 2 | TBsp | Ketchup |
Blend all ingredients together and red spicy or mild sauce is ready for you.
Tips:
- Pocket pitas are very tasty. There are a variety of pocket pitas available. Plain pitas also taste very good. I toast them in the toaster or warm them in a toaster oven at 200º till it puffs up.
- Usually I mix two different kind of lettuce: Romaine and head lettuce. Washed and chopped.
- 3-4 washed and cubed tomatoes to top it off.
I am pretty sure you will enjoy this dish over and over. It is bit time consuming but it's all worth it.Labels: Mediterranean food, Sandwich
