Street-food: Falafel
Coming from the kitchens of the Middle East, maybe one of the most ancient meal there, Falafel is nowadays a well-known dish in Balkan Kitchen, too. Of course there are some differences: there is no cumin (not a frequent ingredient for us) and no garlic (we prefer onion); instead we add the egg, to have a solid crust. In the end, Balkan cooks serve it with specific sauces and breads. So, this is another example how Balkan kitchen is original and international at the same time.
To make falafel you need:
- 250g chickpeas
- 1 bunch parsley
- a 1/2 lemon
- a 1/2 leek or onion
- 2 teaspoons mayonnaise
- 1 cup yogurt
- 2 cucumbers -
-a pinch of salt
- a bit of pepper
- a bit of bread crumbs
Preparation:
Cut as small as possible leek and parsley, or use the food processor instead. I've used chickpeas that were already half cooked, so I just finished cooking them in a bit of water.
If you buy dry chickpeas, leave them in water during the night. The next day drain them, wash nicely and cook until they're done. After that smash them with a fork, or in food processor. Add leek and parsley, and mix all well. In the end leave it in fridge for a few hours. (min 2h)
To make the salsa: mix mayonnaise and yogurt, add salt and pepper, stir well. In the end add lemon juice, mix again. Form falafels and put them on the side. Pass falafels into bread crumbs. If you want to be sure that they'll stay together you can pass them in a mix of egg and again into bread crumbs. This way falafels will have a nice crust. Fry them in hot oil until they are golden and crispy.
Falafel dolazi iz kuhinje Bliskog Istoka, sigurno je jedan od najstarijih jela na tom podneblju. Danas su poprilično zastupljeni i u balkanskoj kuhinji. Naravno, naš falafel se ipak razlikuje od originalnog: umesto belog luka ja više volim da koristim običan luk ili praziluk, i ponekad paniram falafel pre prženja da i imao hrskaviju koricu. Za koju god varijantu da se odlučite nećete pogrešiti, pogotovo ako ste vegetarijanci, onda je ovo prava hrana za vas.
Za falefel je potrebno:
- 250g leblebija
- 1 vezica peršuna
- 1/2 limuna
- 1/2 luka ili praziluka
- 2 kašičice majoneza
- 1 čaša jogurta
- 2 krastavca
- prstohvat soli
- po ukusu bibera
- po potrebi prezli
-2 jaja (ukoliko se odlučite da panirate falafel)
Priprema:
Iseckajte što je moguće sitnije praziluk/luk i peršun ili koristite multipraktik. Ja sam koristila leblebije koji su već napola kuvane, pa mi je bilo potrebno samo 10 minuta da ih potpuno skuvam. Ako kupite suve leblebije, ostavite ih u vodi tokom noći. Sutradan ih dobro operite, ocedite i skuvajte. Nakon toga usitnite ih viljuškom, ili u multipraktiku. Dodajte praziluk i peršun, i pomešajte sve dobro.
Na kraju ostavite smesu za falafel u frižideru nekoliko sati. (min 2h)
Napravite sos: umutite majonez i jogurt, posolite i pobiberite, dodajte limunov sok i dobro promešajte sve sastojke. Oblikujte falafel i ostavite ih oko 10 minuta u frižideru. Nakon toga su spremni za prženje.
Savet: Ukoliko želite da imaju hrskaviju koricu onda je porebno panirati falafel tj. staviti ih prvo u jaje, pa onda u prezle. Zatim pržite falafel u dubljem ulju dok ne dobiju lepu zlatnu boju. Ocediti ih od viška ulja i služiti uz pripremljen sos i krastavc isečen na kolutove. Prijatno!
