The best thing about the food science department is how multicultural it is. We have people from Iran, France, Egypt and India. Obviously, being the food science department, we all have a love of food. We also love talking about food.
It all started with hummus. One day my lecturer and I had a conversation about hummus. He was giving me all sorts of flavouring tips so I decided to try my hand at my favourite dip.
It was amazing. It tastes different from the stuff you buy in tubs at the supermarket. I sometimes find it has a funny texture and the flavour can be overpowering. When you make hummus yourself you can control what goes into it. If you like cumin, pile it in. You can make it zestier with more lemon, or add more garlic if you have absolutely zero love life!
The texture is different, too. If you make it in your food processor you get a fantastic smooth, almost fluffy and whipped texture. I end up eating it off the spoon.
When you look at the ingredient list, the recipe is simple. As with hummus, you can vary seasonings to suit your taste. I am a huge fan of cumin and coriander so I loaded up on both. You can use tinned chickpeas but if you are time-rich tinned isn't the cheapest way to go.
Dried jumbo chickpeas are about $5 for about 400g dry weight. Once you plump them up with water they yield about four to five cups, or 800g of hydrated chickpeas.
I have found the best way to prepare dried chickpeas is to place them in a slow cooker set to high, pour a jugful of boiling water over the top, add a few shakes of salt and leave to cook for three to four hours, until they are really tender to the bite. Overnight on low and starting off with cold water also works a treat.
I cooked all 400g of my dried chickpeas. I used half in this recipe and I have half sitting in my fridge waiting to be used in my next batch of hummus, which I think at the current rate of consumption will be tomorrow.
You can make small bite-sized falafel or patties. You can pop them in a pita pocket or in a wrap with Lebanese bread. I love to serve mine with unsweetened yoghurt, mint leaves, parsley, lettuce and julienned carrots and beetroot. Do as your heart desires.
I have the leftover raw mixture sitting in the fridge in a clean jar waiting to be scooped out for delicious snack-making. Keep it for no more than five days and make sure you use a clean spoon to scoop the mixture out each time.
Sort-of-but-probably-not-very-authentic falafel pita pockets
Serves four
4 wholemeal pita pockets or wraps
Falafel:
400g cooked chickpeas (2 400g tins drained or 200g dry chickpeas hydrated)
Small handful of parsley (Italian or curled leaf)
Small handful fresh coriander (optional)
1 Tbsp cumin seeds
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp salt
1 egg white
2 Tbsp plain flour
Pepper to taste
Fillings:
Carrot, raw beetroot, lettuce, plain yoghurt, hummus (store bought or home-made: basic recipe below), fresh mint leaves, fresh parsley and coriander.
Place all the falafel ingredients in a food processor and pulse until almost smooth. Take small spoonfuls and place in a hot and well-oiled frying pan. You can also shape larger patties using your hands. Fry until dark brown on both sides and cooked through the middle.
Assemble your pita pockets by slicing them open first, spreading the inner surfaces with hummus and yoghurt, then filing with the falafel and salad mixture.
Hummus:
1 tin chickpeas, drained, or 1½ cups rehydrated dried chickpeas
Zest and juice of one lemon
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds (use tahini paste if you wish)
1 Tbsp cumin seeds
Pinch of dried chilli
A small quantity of the brine from the chickpea tin (or water)
Salt and pepper to taste.
Blend all ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Add small quantities of the brine or water until you achieve the consistency you desire. Put parsley or coriander in if you wish.
Store in a sterilised glass jar in the fridge and consume within a week. Serve with raw vegetables as a snack, on toast, on crackers, in your pita, off the spoon . . .
