Falafel Obsession

Strange as it may seem, I consider myself to be a falafel connoisseur of sorts. For those of you who may be unfamiliar with this particular Mediterranean dish, it's basically a mixture of chickpeas, herbs and spices that you fry up and eat in a pita with vegetables and yogurt sauce. It's pretty healthy and really delicious. 

My first falafel was at Andy's Mediterranean Grille close to downtown Cincinnati. My dad brought me there in high school, and I've been going back there to get my falafel fix ever since. There are only a few other places in Cincinnati where you can get one, and everyone does it differently depending on what part of the world they are from. However, I've never met a falafel I didn't like.

When I'm up at school, I usually don't have time to run out to a Mediterranean or Middle Eastern restaurant to grab a falafel. So I make them myself. I wish I could say I can make them from scratch, but sadly this is not the case. I would like to learn, though. If anyone has any good recipes, please send them my way!

[Random side note: as I was preparing dinner, I was snacking a little bit on these Terra veggie chips I've started buying. They are awesome! Try them, you'll see how addicting they are.]

So when I make falafels at home, I use a falafel mix. You can find these at most specialty food stores, or in the Mediterranean/Middle Eastern section at Kroger. For this post, I'm using Ziyad brand, but I've tried several different types and the directions are more or less the same. The whole thing is pretty straightforward, and you wind up with a delicious, healthy, exotic meal. 

Ingredients:

1 box falafel mix

Pita pockets

Tomato

Cucumber

Plain yogurt

Canola oil

Directions:

1. Follow the directions on the falafel mix box. The Ziyad kind calls for mixing with water and letting stand for half an hour.

2. Chop up your tomato and cucumber, as much or as little as you like. Other veggies to include, if you wish:  roasted eggplant, lettuce, cabbage, or pickles.

3. Grab a medium-sized pot and pour in roughly an inch and a half of canola oil. Heat on the stove on medium-high heat until it's hot--you can tell if it's hot enough by flicking a drop of water off your hand into the oil to see if it sizzles.

4. Once your falafel mixture is ready, shape it into balls a little over an inch across. Using a large spoon, gently place each ball in the hot oil. I recommend only frying 4-5 at a time, so it doesn't get too crowded in there. 

5. Fry each falafel ball until golden, approximately 2 minutes. After they've been in the oil about 30 seconds, it's a good idea to gently nudge each one with the spoon so they won't stick to the bottom of the pot. Careful not to break them, but it doesn't really matter if you do--they'll still taste awesome!

6. As those are frying, warm your pita in the microwave by covering with a paper towel and zapping it for 20 seconds.

7. When the balls are done, lift each one out onto a paper towel.

8. Time to build your falafel: place 2-3 balls in each pita, then add your veggies and dollop a generous amount of plain yogurt on top. Enjoy!

Don't they look yummy?

What's your favorite exotic meal?