Surprisingly easy to cook from scratch, this traditional Egyptian dish, made with Split Fava Beans, is delicious as a snack or meze. |
Authentic Egyptian falafels (or more accurately ta’amia) are made with split fava beans instead of chickpeas. Unlike many others, our recipe is both gluten free and vegan – it contains no eggs, flour or breadcrumbs.
Makes 16 to 24 falafels for 8 generous portions
The history of felafel and why it became to be made widely with chick peas is very interesting……worth looking up if you are curious or bored!
These are equally lovely if you bake them in the oven – much lower in fat. Place on grease paper on a baking tray, these can be sprayed with a little oil for a crispy finish. 10 minutes at 200C (fan), then 8 minutes at 150C then turn the oven off and leave for a further 5 minutes. Eat hot with dips.
Good recipe – used a dried chilli, and herbs with fresh mint as that is what I had in store – absolutely fab, taste and texture ☺️ Thank you
I had Ta’amia, in Cairo, many years ago and I am positive they were with a yoghurt sauce. It was white and more liquid than tahini sauce. These are fantastic snacks and quite filling when in a small pita with salad. The Egyptians also cook them with minced meat and small eggs (bantam/pigeon/quail???) inside.
I forgot…the fried aubergine was tasty in the salatat pitta/falafel but hard to cook well without ending up saturated in oil. The most flavoursome pitta was lightly charred over a flame. If you want a taste similar to popcorn as a coating toast sesame seeds in a dry pan and add salt. Absolute heaven. The staple use for fava beans in Egypt is fool. It is stewed and thick (usually purchased from a travelling vendor with a donkey & cart rather than home made due to fuel costs). It certainly sticks to the ribs and is an acquired taste. It is eaten with plain bread. The easiest recipe of the week prize has to go to mulakhiya (Jews mallow). After picking and drying the leaf it looks like green tea when it is crumbled up. Put it in boiling water and it turns into a slimy gloop similar to okra that the poor eat with plain bread; another staple diet.
Egyptians also eat them in lightly charred pitta with salatat (lettuce, tomato, salt & oil). Put humous and or garlic or garlic mayonnaise or garlic oil with chillies into that and you have a fantastic main course; a kings’ feast of goodness. In Egypt salt is imperative. Yinbisit habibi.
Hi Susan. Sorry the recipe wasn’t clear (I’ve clarified it now) – you need to use 500g dried Split Fava Beans.
Do you mean 500gm of dry fava beans , which are then soaked, or 500 gm of wet fava beans?
We have made these a number of times and can honestly say that they are the best ones we have tasted – thank you
Egyptians will never ever eat Falafel with yogurt sauce ….they will always eat it with TAHINA sauce …
Hi
I was wondering if it is possible to make these and then freeze them? If so, would you freeze them in their raw form, or once fried, and cooled? I am trying to make some things that we can store in the freezer and take out as and when. If they are suitable for freezing, would they be able to go in the oven straight from frozen? Finally, when fresh how long would they stay fresh for if kept in an airtight container? Thank you
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Nick Saltmarsh
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