Hawowshi Scandria
Hawowshi Scandria – Learn how to make this popular street food. – Baked bread with a delicious spicy meat filling
Tag: Spice Things Up
Falafel
Falafel – Tamm’iya.
To save confusion I’ll just call these falafel.
Falafel is the name the rest of the Middle East and in fact the rest of the world know these wonderful flavourful nuggets by. Perhaps I should say that Tamm’iya is falafels tasty Egyptian cousin.
Egyptians only use fava beans in their falafel
The major difference in the recipe that Egyptians use is that they use Fava beans as their main ingredients whilst other countries such as Palestine use chickpeas. Others, such as Jordan, use a mixture of the two.
There are even more Ful and Falafel stands than coffee shops in Egypt
What has to be acknowledged is that Ful and Falafel stands are to be found all over Egypt. There are possibly even more Ful and Falafel stands than there are coffee shops. And that’s saying something!
A good Falafel should make your mouth dance
My son made the mistake of buying a falafel sandwich, whilst waiting for his flight at Heathrow airport. What he had – in his words was “a cold, dry falafel wrap which had as much flavour as a piece of cardboard – nothing like the tamm’iya you get in Egypt.” This is true, falafel sandwiches should be exciting , full of flavour, packed with fresh herbs, have a zing of chilli and make your mouth dance.
Falafel are a staple in Egypt and can be eaten any time of the day
Many Egyptians joke that Egypt is fuelled by Ful and Falafel. They are eaten morning , noon & night; for breakfast, lunch and supper.
Ful & Falafel are great sources of vegetarian protein
Meat is very expensive in Egypt. Too expensive to be eaten regularly, for the average person. Ful and Falafel are great sources of vegetarian protein and by comparison are so much more affordable.
In Egypt you can buy raw ready-made falafel mix from a falafel stall to cook at home. Sadly outside of Egypt that’s rare.
Don’t be tempted to buy de-hydrated mixes that come in a box. They are nothing like good falafel. So if you want the real thing you’re going to have to make it from scratch.
Preparation does involve soaking overnight but it’s worth it
If you’re making Falafel from scratch, preparation does involve overnight soaking. But other than that this is a quick meal to prepare and they are loved by all Egyptians.
Make sure to get the right beans
I must emphasise that you need split fava beans which have been skinned and look pale in colour NOT the brown fava beans that still have their skins.
Serves 4-6
Ingredients
- 250g dried split fava beans, covered in cold water and soaked overnight
- 1 leek – finely chopped
- 1 onion – finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves – crushed
- 1 tbsp flour
- 2 tbsp ground cumin
- 5 spring onions – finely chopped
- 2 chilli – finely sliced into rings
- 1 tomato – finely chopped
- 1 handful of coriander – finely chopped
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 egg – beaten – optional – omit for our vegan friends
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Sesame seeds
- vegetable oil for frying
This is how we make them
Drain your beans, add the onions and leek and blitz them
Drain the split fava beans well in a sieve or colander. Tip them into a food processor, along with the leek, onions, garlic, flour and cumin and blitz the ingredients to a really frothy, smooth paste. Then tip it out on to a large bowl.
Add the remaining ingredients
Add the spring onions, chilli, tomato, chopped coriander, bicarbonate of soda and egg.
Season well
Season well with salt and pepper and mix well.
How to cook your falafel
Heat up the oil
Heat up a frying pan over a medium to high heat and pour in about 8cm deep of oil.
When the oil sizzles it’s hot enough
When you dip the handle of a wooden spoon into the oil and it begins to sizzle, you know you’ve reached the right heat. Reduce the heat slightly.
Time to start frying
It’s now time for you to begin cooking your falafel. I like to fry just one falafel first just to check the seasoning. Does it need more cumin? chilli? It’s good to check.
Scoop up a spoonful and sprinkle, before you put it into the oil
Many people like to wet their hands and take some falafel mix about the size of a walnut. They flatten it slightly and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Then lower it into the hot oil taking care not to drip water from their hands as it will cause the hot oil to spit. This is also how you see them being make at Falafel stalls.
I prefer to use 2 dessert spoons to or an ice-cream scoop to scoop up a rounded spoonful of falafel mixture and form it into a round. Sprinkle sesame seeds onto the top and gently lower it into the oil.
Not too many at a time
You will need to cook in batches of about 5 at a time. This will ensure your pan doesn’t get over filled. Expect the falafel to puff up a little with the baking powder in the mix.
Cook until golden brown
Cook for 2-3 minutes until they become a golden brown colour. Flip them over to make sure they are cooked on both sides.
Remove with a slotted spoon
Using a slotted spoon remove them from the oil. Keep then in a warm place whilst you cook the rest of your mix.
How to serve your delicious falafel
Traditionally these are eaten with Ful Medammes but they are also extremely good eaten in a pitta bread sandwich with salad and a drizzle of tahini.
I do hope you’ll enjoy these! Let me know how you get on with them.
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Halabissah
Halabissah – Chilli Beef and Chickpea Soup
Halabissah – one of Egypt’s favourite street foods
Halabissah is one of Egypt’s favourite street foods. It’s sold by street vendors at times of celebrations, such as Eid. It’s truly delicious, and makes your taste buds celebrate too.
So, what’s so special about Halabissah?
It’s made using a tasty beef stock; clear, un-thickened stock – you could use chicken or vegetable stock if you preferred. Its ingredients include chickpeas, along with raw diced tomato. This incredible delight is then brought to life with chilli and lemon juice.
This combination makes it so much more than just ‘soup’. It’s bursting with flavour and makes your taste buds dance the fandango. The stock is really tasty but it’s the citrus burst from the lemon and heat from the chilli that makes your eyes sparkle and your taste buds tingle.
Halabissah definitely stands out from the crowd
The other amazing thing that makes Halabissah stand out from the crowd is the unmistakeable way it’s served. What other soup is served in a tall glass with a straw? I can’t imagine where that idea came from, but the idea stuck and this is how it’s always served.
*It’s worth mentioning that this is one of the very few things served in Egypt which doesn’t have bread as an accompaniment.
Ingredients
- 2 pints beef stock – or you can use chicken or vegetable stock if you prefer
- 2 cloves garlic – crushed and chopped
- 3 tomatoes – peeled, de-seeded and finely chopped
- 2 cups of cooked chickpeas / 1 tin
- 1 red chilli sliced – finely into rings – seeds removed if you prefer less heat
- a good pinch of chilli flakes
- freshly ground black pepper to season
- juice of half a lemon
- lemon wedges and extra chilli sauce to serve
- Tall glasses and straws are required for an authentic presentation
serves 6
This is how you make halabissah
- Put the chickpeas, garlic, stock and a pinch of chilli flakes into a pan.
- Bring them to the boil and then reduce the heat to a gentle simmer for about 10 minutes to allow the chick peas to absorb the flavours and for the garlic to lose its harsh raw flavour.
Whilst the stock is heating through, prepare the tomatoes
- They need to be peeled, de-seeded and finely chopped.
- To do this, cut a cross in the bottom of the tomato and put them in a pan. Pour boiling water over the tomatoes to cover them. Wait 5 – 10 minutes then pour away the hot water and plunge them into cold water. This should make it easy for you to pull the tomato skins off – if the skin is still firmly fixed to the flesh simply repeat the process
- Next, cut the tomatoes into 4 and scrape out the seeds.
- Now, chop the remaining flesh finely.
Bringing it all together
- The stock should be ready now, so take it off the heat.
- Add the chopped tomatoes to the soup. The tomatoes don’t need to be cooked just warmed and the heat from the stock will do this.
- Adjust the seasoning with salt, freshly ground black pepper and chilli flakes to your taste. I’m told that the chilli should be just enough to make your lips tingle – but then this is a matter of taste.
How to serve your halabissah, your chilli beef and chickpea soup
- Now your halabissah is ready to serve. As I said you need tall, heat proof glasses – to be honest I just use regular tall glasses but I always allow it to cool down a little and put a long spoon in the glass when I pour in the hot liquid, as a precaution to guard against the glass cracking.
- Using a slotted spoon, put a few chick peas and a little chopped tomato in the bottom of each glass and then top up with the stock.
- Lemon slices are offered when serving to be squeezed over the top of your halabissah to add a citrus tingle.
- Additional chilli sauce (or shahta as it’s called) is offered for those who enjoy their snacks with an extra kick.
A big thank you
I must thank my lovely niece, Afaf, for this recipe. She is the one who regularly provides this wonderful snack by the gallon, for big family gatherings.
I do hope you’ll try this recipe. If nothing else, it will definitely be an ice-breaker and a conversation point when you have friends round, simply because of the way it’s served.
The fact that it tastes great will then just be an added bonus.
Let me know how it goes.