A foodie trip around Dubai
Uttering the name Middle East conjures up a picture of vast sprawling deserts, golden sand, setting sun, camels and mounds of piping food- of delicious kebabs, shawarma rolls, tabboulleh, falafel and biryanis.
But the name Dubai means gold, shopping and food. So when in Dubai where would you go and what would you do? Where would you eat?
Did you know that Dubai has an amazing array of foods from across the world? It would be fun to try out all these different flavours while you’re here. But how would you know where to eat and what’s the best that Dubai has to offer?
Travelbag has wonderful Interactive Map of restaurants in Dubai that displays a range of restaurants across Dubai. Just click and it not only shows you the restaurants in the vicinity, but takes you straight onto google maps to get you there pronto! Now what could be better than that? Shop, eat at the closest good restaurant, recharge and shop again!
All that talk of food and shopping and more food has made me really hungry.
Today I will share with you one of my favourite Middle Eastern fare- the Falafel. Now you might think- oh falafel- been there done that, don’t like it so much!
But hang on, this recipe is unique- the secret to the most perfect Falafel. A treasured family recipe shared with me by a very dear friend.
Most of the Falafels that we get here in London are just deep fried, dry fritters of chickpeas, that are really not so nice at all.
The real authentic falafel has a bite to it, a crunch, a moist, crumbly, delicious inside enveloped in layers of taste.
But what is the difference then, in this Falalfel and the rest?
The secret, my friends lies in the bean and the greens.
Now most, almost all Falafels that you would’ve eaten would’ve been made out of the ubiquitous Chickpea.
But this one, is not.
And that is the difference. You’ll see.
This is the star of the recipe .. The Fava bean.
So what do you do, and how do you make it? Here’s how:
The Ingredients:
Fava Beans, dried – 2 cups
Coriander, finely chopped- 1 cup,
Parsley, finely chopped- 1 cup
Dill leaves, finely chopped- 1/4 cup
Green Chilli- 1
Onion- 1 small
Garlic- 4 cloves
Sesame seeds, dry toasted in pan- 1/4 cup
Cumin powder- 1 tsp
Coriander powder- 1/2 tsp
Baking powder- 1 tsp
Salt- to taste
Oil- as required for cooking.
Method:
- Soak the Fava beans in plenty of water, almost 4 times water overnight for for 4-5 hours. By this time, they should’ve doubled in size.
- Now roughly chop the greens.
- Pop everything into the foodprocessor, all except the sesame seeds and oil.
- Pulse into a fine crumb.
- Heat oil in a shallow pan and drop heaped tablespoonfuls of the stuff onto it. Press the top flat so as to ensure even cooking. Flip over and cook the other side after 2-3 minutes. Fry till golden brown – 2-3 minutes on each side.
- Drain on absorbent kitchen paper and keep aside.
Now for the moment of truth. Break open that Falafel and can you see it? The beautiful centre? That’s what a falafel- the most beautiful Falafel in the world should look like.
Serve hot with pita bread, mint sauce, salads.
Perfect for a main meal or as appetisers!
Enjoy!