Egyptian Felafel

Here in Egypt, we call felafel "ta'ameya" and instead of using chickpeas we use split fava beans... It's made and served in so many different ways, but it is always its best when it is FRESH... I hate going into a grocery store or deli and seeing a felafel sandwich or platter that has been sitting there for hours... Felafel is best when it is served the second it is cooked -- it has such a beautiful aroma that to me just screams BREAKFAST. Felafel is truly the perfect breakfast dish -- we have felafel sandwiches for breakfast here all the time... What a wonderful way to start the day.

With just a few ingredients you can make this Middle Eastern dish with little effort at all. Also the paste can be frozen so you can make a lot of it and just defrost it when you want to fry some up.

A healthier cooking option:

Now I know you are going to read the recipe and come to the "frying" part and say wait, isn't your cooking supposed to be "easy, NUTRITIOUS, delicious"? I reaaaaally tried to avoid the frying -- I baked some of them by just brushing each side with a little bit of vegetable oil -- it turned out okay but it lost the nice crispy outer layer that I love and when you bake it for longer to get the crispy edges it gets too dry... The choice is yours but I prefer frying -- you only have to fry it for 2 minutes or so on each side so it doesn't suck up that much oil and the split beans are a GREAT source of protein

Ingredients:
2 pounds split fava beans, soaked overnight
Large handful of fresh parsley leaves
Large handful of fresh coriander leaves
Large handful of fresh dill
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt
1 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 large onion, peeled and chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled
1 egg

There isn't really much preparation to do to this recipe (other than soaking the beans in water overnight). Drain the beans and place them along with ALL the above mentioned ingredients in a food processor. Process until it becomes a fine paste.

In a large frying pan, heat up some vegetable oil and take half a handful of the felafel paste and make it into a small ball in your hand. Flatten the top and bottom and place in the hot oil. Repeat until you have made as much felafel as you desire and freeze the rest of the paste.

Fry until the crust hardens and is brown, for about 2 minutes on each side (more or less depending on how hot the oil is). Keep an eye on these as they will burn quickly!

Remove from the oil and allow them to rest on some kitchen paper to absorb excess oil.

Serve HOT. It goes great with tahini paste, hommos, or baba ghanouj. Serve with some pita bread.

Serves 8

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