Ta'amiya
Egypt's falafel: ground fava beans, parsley, coriander, dill, leek and garlic blitzed to a soft green paste, fried into small darkly crusted patties.
Overview
Dried split fava beans soak overnight. Blitz with herbs, garlic, onion, leek, ground coriander, cumin and a pinch of baking powder to a soft slightly grainy paste, not smooth purée. Rest for 1 hour. Shape into 5 cm flat discs; dip in sesame seeds; fry at 175°C 4-5 minutes until deep gold.
Ingredients
- 400 g dried split fava beans (skinless - soaked 12 hours, drained)
- 1 onion (medium, chopped)
- 1 leek (medium, white part only, chopped)
- 8 garlic cloves
- 1 large bunch fresh parsley (40 g, stems and leaves)
- 1 large bunch fresh coriander (40 g, stems and leaves)
- 4 tablespoons fresh dill
- 2 tablespoons ground coriander
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder (added just before frying)
- 1 green chilli (small, optional)
To finish
- 3 tablespoons sesame seeds (for coating)
- 1 ½ litres vegetable oil for deep frying
To serve
- Tahina Salad
- Aysh baladi (or pita)
- Pickled vegetables
- Salata Baladi
Method
Stage 1 - Blitz
- Place the drained fava beans, onion, leek, garlic, all herbs, ground coriander, cumin, pepper, salt and chilli (if using) in a food processor.
- Blitz to a coarse paste - should hold a shape when squeezed but still grainy.
- Tip into a bowl. Cover; refrigerate 1 hour.
Stage 2 - Baking powder
- Just before frying, sprinkle in the baking powder; mix.
Stage 3 - Shape
- Take walnut-sized portions; press flat into 5 cm discs about 1 cm thick.
- Dip one side in sesame seeds.
Stage 4 - Fry
- Heat oil to 175°C in a deep heavy pan.
- Fry in batches of 5-6, 4-5 minutes total, turning, until deep dark gold all over.
- Drain on kitchen paper.
Stage 5 - Serve
- Eat warm - stuff into pita with tahina, salata, pickles. Or eat as a starter with tahina to dip.
Notes
- Fava not chickpea: Egyptian ta'amiya uses dried split fava beans. Sold in Middle Eastern shops as "split broad beans". Don't substitute chickpeas - that's Lebanese / Israeli falafel, different dish.
- Don't over-blitz: The texture should be coarse, with visible bits of herb and bean. A smooth purée gives dense, doughy ta'amiya.
- Baking powder at the end: Activates with frying for lightness. Adding earlier and the patties go flat.
Storage
- Refrigerate uncooked mix 24 hours.
- Cooked: 2 days refrigerated; re-crisp at 200°C 5 minutes.
- Freeze cooked 2 months.
Recipes mentioned here
Aysh Baladi
A simple dough of half plain flour and half wholemeal, yeast, salt and warm water. Rises for 1 hour. Divides into 6 portions; rolls into thin 18 cm discs; rests for 20 minutes. Baked at maximum heat on a hot baking stone for 3-4 minutes, they puff dramatically and fall flat as they cool, leaving a hollow pocket.
Tahina Salad
Good-quality tahini whisks with crushed garlic, fresh lemon juice and a pinch of salt. The mix tightens dramatically at first (chemistry of acid + tahini), then loosens with cold water added slowly until pourable. Pinch of cumin folds in. Spread on a wide plate; pool of olive oil on top; pinch of sumac and parsley.
Falafel
Dried chickpeas soak overnight, do not cook them. Blitz with onion, garlic, herbs and spices to a coarse green paste. Rest for 1 hour. A pinch of baking powder mixes in just before frying. Shape into balls; deep-fry at 175°C 4 minutes until darkly crusted. Stuffed into pita with hummus, tahina, salata, pickles.
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Tameya
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