Ta’ameya (Falafel)
The Egyptian variety of the falafel is ta’ameya. Much greener inside, it is full of fresh herbs and is less dense than Middle Eastern falafel. Made only with fava beans – not chick peas or a combination of the two that you find in Lebanon.Serve with the accompanying salad, Tahini Sauce and fresh Lebanese bread, and be warned, once you have tried an Egyptian ta’ameya there is no going back to falafel!!! Enjoy!
Ta’ameya (Falafel)
The Egyptian version of the humble falafel – full of green goodness
Ingredients
Ta’ameya Mixture
- 1 kilogram fava beans (dry split beans, peeled)
- 4 bunches fresh parsley (continental)
- 1 bunch fresh coriander
- 2 bunches spring onions
- 1 bunch dill
- 1 leek
- 8 cloves garlic (crushed)
- 4 teaspoons ground coriander
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 3 teaspoons cooking salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon chilli flakes
To Fry
- rice bran oil
- ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
- sesame seeds
Tahini Sauce
- ½ cup tahini
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ½ cup water
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 pinch chilli flakes
- 1 pinch ground black pepper
- 2 cloves garlic (crushed)
Accompanying Salad
- 2 tomatoes
- 1 onion
- 5 spring onions
- ¼ cup fresh parsley (chopped)
- 1 capsicum
- 2 Lebanese cucumbers
- 10 sprigs rocket
Instructions
- Wash all the greens and place in clean kitchen towels in the refrigerator overnight – they should be as dry as practical to start.4 bunches fresh parsley, 1 bunch fresh coriander, 2 bunches spring onions, 1 bunch dill, 1 leek
- Soak beans for around 5-6 hours. Do not over soak as the beans won’t absorb the juice of the greens later.1 kilogram fava beans
- Drain the beans well then mince beans and greens alternately through the mincer (coarse setting). Do not process in food processor as ta’ameya should have some texture.
- Add spices, mix and check seasoning, then rerun the mixture through the mincer on the fine setting. Add water if required but this is unlikely.8 cloves garlic, 4 teaspoons ground coriander, 2 teaspoons ground cumin, 3 teaspoons cooking salt, ½ teaspoon ground black pepper, 1 teaspoon chilli flakes
- Recipe can be frozen at this point. Thaw completely before using from frozen.
- Half an hour before frying, add bicarbonate of soda to mixture. Shape into rounds.½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
- Heat oil for frying. Just before frying, dip ta’ameya into a bowl of the sesame seeds, then deep fry turning once until golden (around 5 minutes each side).sesame seeds, rice bran oil
- Mix all tahini sauce ingredients to a paste.½ cup tahini, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, ½ cup water, ¼ teaspoon ground cumin, 1 pinch salt, 1 pinch chilli flakes, 1 pinch ground black pepper, 2 cloves garlic
- Line up the ta’ameya along the diameter of a Lebanese bread loaf. Top with your choice of salad and the tahini sauce. Roll up and eat while ta’ameya is still hot.2 tomatoes, 1 onion, 5 spring onions, ¼ cup fresh parsley, 1 capsicum, 2 Lebanese cucumbers, 10 sprigs rocket
Notes
Granted, bunches are not a precise measure! If you are buying parsley at a supermarket, the bunches are quite small – we have doubled them in this recipe for that reason.
Nutrition
Calories: 23kcalCarbohydrates: 3gProtein: 1gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0.1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.3gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.3gSodium: 80mgPotassium: 74mgFibre: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 315IUVitamin C: 6mgCalcium: 14mgIron: 0.5mg
