Egyptian Falafel (Ta'amiya)

Name: Egyptian Falafel (Ta'amiya)
Total time: 80 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Arab
Ingredients: For the paste:; 500 g split, skinless dried fava beans (ful medammes mashed variety), soaked in water 12 to 24 hours and drained well (no chickpeas, and never boil the beans); 1 large onion, chopped, and 6 cloves garlic; 1 bunch fresh coriander, 1 bunch parsley and ½ bunch dill (with tender stems); 1 leek (or 4 green onions), chopped; 1 tsp ground cumin and 1 tsp ground dried coriander; 1 to 1½ tsp salt; ½ tsp baking soda (added just before frying); For coating and frying:; 3 tbsp sesame seeds; Plenty of oil for frying (about 1 litre); To serve:; Baladi bread, tahini, tomato, arugula and pickles

Recipe No.: A-10

Arab80 minServes 6

Ta'ameya is Egypt's version of falafel, made from split fava beans, not chickpeas, and packed with green herbs so the inside is green and soft and the outside crisp with sesame. With ful medammes it is Egypt's best-known street breakfast, eaten in baladi bread with tahini. It is said to be the original falafel, and some link it to the Coptic fasting tradition, but no confirmed account of its origin exists.

Ingredients for Egyptian Falafel

For the paste
500 gsplit, skinless dried fava beans (ful medammes mashed variety), soaked in water 12 to 24 hours and drained well (no chickpeas, and never boil the beans)
1large onion, chopped, and 6 cloves garlic
1 bunchfresh coriander, 1 bunch parsley and ½ bunch dill (with tender stems)
1leek (or 4 green onions), chopped
1 tspground cumin and 1 tsp ground dried coriander
1 to 1½ tspsalt
½ tspbaking soda (added just before frying)
For coating and frying
3 tbspsesame seeds
Plenty of oil for frying (about 1 litre)
To serve
Baladi bread, tahini, tomato, arugula and pickles

Method

Drain the soaked beans well and spread on a clean towel until the surface dries, because extra water makes the paste fall apart in the oil.
Grind the raw beans with the onion, garlic, coriander, parsley, dill and leek in a food processor in batches (or through a meat grinder) until you have a green, slightly coarse paste that holds when squeezed.
Add the cumin, ground coriander and salt and mix, without adding water, flour or egg.
Cover and chill the paste for at least 30 minutes so it firms up.
Heat the oil in a deep pot to 175°C (a bread cube browns in about 40 seconds).
Just before frying, stir the baking soda into the paste.
With a wet hand shape discs about 5 cm wide and 1.5 cm thick and press one or both sides into the sesame seeds.
Fry 5 to 6 discs per batch for 3 to 4 minutes, turning once, until deep golden, letting the oil return to 175°C between batches.
Lift out onto a wire rack (or paper towels) and serve immediately, green and soft inside, with bread, tahini and salad.

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