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Post by Deleted on Jul 19, 2022 16:21:44 GMT
I thought I would make this it's own thread outside of the tahini thread just in case others might be interested.
IMO, the secret of making good falafel is the process.
First, use real chickpeas, not canned. Take at least 2 cups of uncooked chickpeas and put them in a big bowl. Sprinkle in 1/2 tsp of baking soda. Cover with water. Soak AT LEAST 24 hours. I have been known to soak a day and a half actually. Drain them well. Put in the fridge for at least 24 hours, wouldn't hurt to do 2 days. The reason for this is that it dries out the chickpeas and softens them up. The next part is a real pain, but so worth it. You need to skin the chickpeas. Over the years, I've learned a trick. When you press down on the chickpea, when they are soft enough, the chickpea splits in half and you kind of snap the skin off. Sounds odd, but once you press a couple of chickpeas, you will figure out what I mean. Discard the skins.
Depending on how big your food processer is, you may need to do small batches with the next ingredients.
Take a bunch of parsley and a bunch of cilantro. Remove the stems. Take a bunch of dill, remove stems also. (By bunch, I mean a bunch that you would find in the grocery store). These MUST BE FRESH! Not dried!!!! ****Also, make sure that your herbs are DRY after washing them before putting them in the processer.
1 onion, quartered and quartered again. At LEAST 10 garlic cloves, peeled. The more the better.
Next you need to add the chickpeas, herbs, onions and garlic into the processer. If you can fit it all, then add the following spices. If not, half the amount of spices for the next batch.
1 tbsp salt, 1 tbsp pepper, 1 tbsp cumin
Process all together. Make sure that everything is chopping up well. I recommend pulsing the processer so that you can push down the mix to make sure that everything is getting chopped. You also want to make sure that the mix is staying "dry". You should NOT process down to liquid. Think of how salmon patty mix is. You don't want it to wet or too dry because it doesn't fry well. Same thing with the falafel mix. If the mix is too wet, try adding a tbsp of flour at a time to see if that helps.
Your mix should be really green and really fragrant. Put in a bowl and put in the fridge for 24 hours. Again, this helps to dry it out.
I typically make BIG BIG batches of this (like 300-400 patties) because this mix freezes GREAT! If you plan to freeze, you must make your patties first. I have a falafel scoop, which you may be able to find at a Middle Eastern market. If not, just use a soup spoon to scoop out to make your patty. Roll it between the palm of your hands into a ball. Then gently press it into "an oval hockey puck". Not too fat, not too thin. Have a tray with parchment paper to put your patties on to freeze. I usually will stick the tray into the freezer for at least 6 hours so that they are frozen. Pop them into a ziploc bag. I like to write the date because they will keep for a loooooooooonnnnnnnnnnggg time! ***Edited to add: The reason for freezing the patties before putting them in a ziploc bag is so that they don't stick together. Ask me how I know!!!!
Whether you are frying from the fridge or from frozen, make sure that your oil is hot. Falafel will fry quick so you need to watch it. When you start to see the brown come up around the edge, flip it. Be careful not to overfry because then it WILL taste like a hockey puck! Fry maybe 5-7 minutes each side. Careful as the oil gets hotter.
I do not have an air fryer so I cannot give you tips on cooking it in there.
If you want to add in sesame seeds, add that in with the spices when mixing.
Enjoy!
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naby64
Drama Llama
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Jun 25, 2014 21:44:13 GMT
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Post by naby64 on Jul 19, 2022 16:29:37 GMT
Yum and THANK YOU!! I have made it pretty close to your instructions but didn't skin the chickpeas nor do the extra 24 hours in the fridge to dry them out. They are so good. I am the only one that eats hummus and falafel in my house so I don't make huge batches.
Now the big question to start all the arguments - hummus or tzatziki sauce? I love falafel with both but it just seems like overkill to have it with hummus since it is pretty much the same list of ingredients. Yes, a few changes but still...
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sueg
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Post by sueg on Jul 19, 2022 16:30:55 GMT
Yum. That sounds so good. I'll have to try them once I am settled in our new house
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Deleted
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Jun 30, 2024 6:07:50 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jul 19, 2022 17:16:01 GMT
Yum and THANK YOU!! I have made it pretty close to your instructions but didn't skin the chickpeas nor do the extra 24 hours in the fridge to dry them out. They are so good. I am the only one that eats hummus and falafel in my house so I don't make huge batches. Now the big question to start all the arguments - hummus or tzatziki sauce? I love falafel with both but it just seems like overkill to have it with hummus since it is pretty much the same list of ingredients. Yes, a few changes but still... In this Arab household...... falafel with tzatziki sauce (got a recipe for that too!). Hummus is strictly with the pitz bread. Unless, you have lamb/beef pieces (cut into small bits) that you sprinkle on top with chopped parsely. GURL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YUM!
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Post by Rainy_Day_Woman on Jul 19, 2022 18:37:26 GMT
You are boss. My secret falafel recipe is to add water to the box of falafel mix. And then I bake them to be "healthy" and they taste awful. (They actually aren't bad if you fry them properly and throw in some fresh herbs! I'm so lazy!) We make a spicy garlic toum-like sauce for them usually.
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Post by mellyw on Jul 19, 2022 19:55:09 GMT
You are boss. My secret falafel recipe is to add water to the box of falafel mix. And then I bake them to be "healthy" and they taste awful. (They actually aren't bad if you fry them properly and throw in some fresh herbs! I'm so lazy!) We make a spicy garlic toum-like sauce for them usually. That’s much better than my secret recipe, which is to visit a couple of our middle eastern grocery stores, buy the ones they make at the little restaurant and then purchase boxed frozen ones for later 😁
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Post by mellyw on Jul 19, 2022 19:59:03 GMT
allipeas, I just need to come visit you and let you cook for me for about a week 😂😂.
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Post by piebaker on Jul 19, 2022 20:45:01 GMT
This recipe is fabulous, allipeas. I have a tried-and-true felafel recipe but your secret way of shucking the chickpea skins is ingenious! I truly appreciate the detailed instructions! Thank you, thank you!!!
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maryannscraps
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Post by maryannscraps on Jul 19, 2022 21:01:08 GMT
I absolutely love falafel, it's one of my favorite foods. I've made it a couple times with zero success -- always tasted awful. I'm totally going to try this -- thank you so much for the details. My son's partner grew up in Jordan and he's been slowly teaching me some of his favorite foods. He'll be so impressed if I make a good falafel.
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Deleted
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Jun 30, 2024 6:07:50 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jul 20, 2022 8:01:52 GMT
Falafel ScoopCame back to add that this is what I have. Got mine from Gaza, but this is exactly the same. I checked on Amazon and they have smaller stainless steel ones. My friend here has one of those and they work, but not as good as the one I have. Believe me when I say, if you are making big batches, this scoop is a life saver!
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Deleted
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Jun 30, 2024 6:07:50 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jul 20, 2022 8:05:30 GMT
Yum and THANK YOU!! I have made it pretty close to your instructions but didn't skin the chickpeas nor do the extra 24 hours in the fridge to dry them out. They are so good. I am the only one that eats hummus and falafel in my house so I don't make huge batches. Now the big question to start all the arguments - hummus or tzatziki sauce? I love falafel with both but it just seems like overkill to have it with hummus since it is pretty much the same list of ingredients. Yes, a few changes but still... By the way, when making my hummus, I prepare the chickpeas exactly the same way as in the falafel recipe. And yes, I peel them for the hummus. I am willing to bet you will taste the difference.
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Deleted
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Jun 30, 2024 6:07:50 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jul 20, 2022 8:09:09 GMT
I absolutely love falafel, it's one of my favorite foods. I've made it a couple times with zero success -- always tasted awful. I'm totally going to try this -- thank you so much for the details. My son's partner grew up in Jordan and he's been slowly teaching me some of his favorite foods. He'll be so impressed if I make a good falafel. Ohhhh that is sooooo awesome! Let me know what he says. I have lots of Palestinian recipes if you ever need any. My star dish is maqluba (maa-k-loo-ba)!
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 20, 2022 8:16:26 GMT
allipeas, I just need to come visit you and let you cook for me for about a week 😂😂. Merhaba habeebatee!!!!!! I have learned over the years from MIL. I have tried to write down many of her recipes. One of my most treasured cookbooks though is "The Gaza Kitchen". The Gaza KitchenI am pretty sure this is the newer edition. Both DH and MIL have commented that these recipes are closest to what MIL makes. GREAT, GREAT recipe for lentils in there! If you really like Middle Eastern food, I highly highly recommend this book!
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Post by Skellinton on Jul 20, 2022 14:20:40 GMT
Ty, I love Falafel, will be making these next week!
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Post by Skellinton on Jul 20, 2022 14:22:01 GMT
allipeas, I just need to come visit you and let you cook for me for about a week 😂😂. Merhaba habeebatee!!!!!! I have learned over the years from MIL. I have tried to write down many of her recipes. One of my most treasured cookbooks though is "The Gaza Kitchen". The Gaza KitchenI am pretty sure this is the newer edition. Both DH and MIL have commented that these recipes are closest to what MIL makes. GREAT, GREAT recipe for lentils in there! If you really like Middle Eastern food, I highly highly recommend this book! TFS, going to look for this one.
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scrappinghappy
Pearl Clutcher
“I’m late, I’m late for a very important date. No time to say “Hello.” Goodbye. I’m late...."
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Jun 26, 2014 19:30:06 GMT
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Post by scrappinghappy on Jul 20, 2022 15:29:09 GMT
I absolutely love falafel, it's one of my favorite foods. I've made it a couple times with zero success -- always tasted awful. I'm totally going to try this -- thank you so much for the details. My son's partner grew up in Jordan and he's been slowly teaching me some of his favorite foods. He'll be so impressed if I make a good falafel. Ohhhh that is sooooo awesome! Let me know what he says. I have lots of Palestinian recipes if you ever need any. My star dish is maqluba (maa-k-loo-ba)! I was so impressed when I saw my SIL make maqluba. We are vegan so I set out to find a good recipe. You probably wouldn't be impressed, she wasn't lol, but here's the one I make and we love. cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1019228-spiced-maqluba-with-tomatoes-and-tahini-sauce
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Deleted
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Jun 30, 2024 6:07:50 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jul 20, 2022 15:39:36 GMT
@skellinton, if you like Middle Eastern food, I could not recommend a better cookbook. The book itself is quite interesting as it not only provides recipes but talks about the people and the history of preparing these foods. I can't count how many times that I have made something from that book and my husband is like....OMG....tastes just like my mom's!!!!
I have to add, years ago, I thought all Middle Eastern food is the same. But as I have traveled and made friends I have learned what a difference!!! My BFF is from Ramallah and her dishes are vastly different than what I make. I have Jordanian friends that make a dish called the same but tastes completely different. Of all Middle Eastern food, I find that Syrian/Lebanese is my absolute fav. I could literally eat Fattoush salad every day of my life! DD's nickname is "fattoush" because I craved it during my pregnancy with her and I would eat it at least three times a week!
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Deleted
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Jun 30, 2024 6:07:50 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jul 20, 2022 15:44:07 GMT
Ohhhh that is sooooo awesome! Let me know what he says. I have lots of Palestinian recipes if you ever need any. My star dish is maqluba (maa-k-loo-ba)! I was so impressed when I saw my SIL make maqluba. We are vegan so I set out to find a good recipe. You probably wouldn't be impressed, she wasn't lol, but here's the one I make and we love. cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1019228-spiced-maqluba-with-tomatoes-and-tahini-sauceI am impressed with anyone making maqluba. There are sooooo many variations. I could not get past the paywall to see the recipe. The beef stock is an important part of cooking the maqluba, so I would love to know what you use to replace that, or do you? Have you tried fried eggplant and onions in it? I have been known to add some fried cauliflower as well. I am VERY IMPRESSED at vegan maqluba! Cook on with ya bad self!!!!!!!!!!
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naby64
Drama Llama
Posts: 6,005
Jun 25, 2014 21:44:13 GMT
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Post by naby64 on Jul 20, 2022 15:46:55 GMT
allipeas, I just need to come visit you and let you cook for me for about a week 😂😂. Merhaba habeebatee!!!!!! I have learned over the years from MIL. I have tried to write down many of her recipes. One of my most treasured cookbooks though is "The Gaza Kitchen". The Gaza KitchenI am pretty sure this is the newer edition. Both DH and MIL have commented that these recipes are closest to what MIL makes. GREAT, GREAT recipe for lentils in there! If you really like Middle Eastern food, I highly highly recommend this book! YAY!! I just found this one on Scribd and saved it to my list!
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Post by maryland on Jul 20, 2022 17:39:04 GMT
Thanks for sharing your recipe! It sounds great! If you have other Arab recipes to share, I would love it!
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Post by maryland on Jul 20, 2022 17:42:21 GMT
allipeas, I just need to come visit you and let you cook for me for about a week 😂😂. Merhaba habeebatee!!!!!! I have learned over the years from MIL. I have tried to write down many of her recipes. One of my most treasured cookbooks though is "The Gaza Kitchen". The Gaza KitchenI am pretty sure this is the newer edition. Both DH and MIL have commented that these recipes are closest to what MIL makes. GREAT, GREAT recipe for lentils in there! If you really like Middle Eastern food, I highly highly recommend this book! This cookbook looks really good. Our library has the 2012 book. I put a request and I may buy the newer version. The author lives in Maryland, and I grew up in Maryland.
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Post by maryland on Jul 20, 2022 17:48:15 GMT
I absolutely love falafel, it's one of my favorite foods. I've made it a couple times with zero success -- always tasted awful. I'm totally going to try this -- thank you so much for the details. My son's partner grew up in Jordan and he's been slowly teaching me some of his favorite foods. He'll be so impressed if I make a good falafel. Ohhhh that is sooooo awesome! Let me know what he says. I have lots of Palestinian recipes if you ever need any. My star dish is maqluba (maa-k-loo-ba)! I would love to see your Palestinian recipes! I am so excited about this thread!
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Post by peano on Jul 20, 2022 17:59:53 GMT
allipeas, I am NEVER gonna skin a garbanzo bean so...just wondering--do you offer a mail order falafel service?
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maryannscraps
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,742
Aug 28, 2017 12:51:28 GMT
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Post by maryannscraps on Jul 20, 2022 18:07:55 GMT
I have to add, years ago, I thought all Middle Eastern food is the same. But as I have traveled and made friends I have learned what a difference!!! My BFF is from Ramallah and her dishes are vastly different than what I make. I have Jordanian friends that make a dish called the same but tastes completely different. Of all Middle Eastern food, I find that Syrian/Lebanese is my absolute fav. I could literally eat Fattoush salad every day of my life! DD's nickname is "fattoush" because I craved it during my pregnancy with her and I would eat it at least three times a week!That's one of the dishes my son's partner taught me. I could eat it every day during the summer. He brings me back aleppo pepper, za'atar, and sumac when he goes to Jordan to visit family. I go through so much of them.
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Post by monklady123 on Jul 20, 2022 19:27:01 GMT
I absolutely love falafel, it's one of my favorite foods. I've made it a couple times with zero success -- always tasted awful. I'm totally going to try this -- thank you so much for the details. My son's partner grew up in Jordan and he's been slowly teaching me some of his favorite foods. He'll be so impressed if I make a good falafel. Ohhhh that is sooooo awesome! Let me know what he says. I have lots of Palestinian recipes if you ever need any. My star dish is maqluba (maa-k-loo-ba)! We ate that (and other very delicious things) when I was in Palestine. We went to the Aida refugee camp, had a cooking lesson, and had the most wonderful meal. I brought home this cookbook. I’ve cooked a couple of things from it which were good but of course not as good as what we ate there. Thanks for the falafel recipe! I’m going to try it one day.
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Post by sabrinae on Jul 20, 2022 19:55:49 GMT
I have to add, years ago, I thought all Middle Eastern food is the same. But as I have traveled and made friends I have learned what a difference!!! My BFF is from Ramallah and her dishes are vastly different than what I make. I have Jordanian friends that make a dish called the same but tastes completely different. Of all Middle Eastern food, I find that Syrian/Lebanese is my absolute fav. I could literally eat Fattoush salad every day of my life! DD's nickname is "fattoush" because I craved it during my pregnancy with her and I would eat it at least three times a week!That's one of the dishes my son's partner taught me. I could eat it every day during the summer. He brings me back aleppo pepper, za'atar, and sumac when he goes to Jordan to visit family. I go through so much of them. If you run out, Penzeys Spices carry all three of those. It was one of the only places I could find them.
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Post by mellyw on Jul 20, 2022 20:35:13 GMT
@skellinton, if you like Middle Eastern food, I could not recommend a better cookbook. The book itself is quite interesting as it not only provides recipes but talks about the people and the history of preparing these foods. I can't count how many times that I have made something from that book and my husband is like....OMG....tastes just like my mom's!!!! I have to add, years ago, I thought all Middle Eastern food is the same. But as I have traveled and made friends I have learned what a difference!!! My BFF is from Ramallah and her dishes are vastly different than what I make. I have Jordanian friends that make a dish called the same but tastes completely different. Of all Middle Eastern food, I find that Syrian/Lebanese is my absolute fav. I could literally eat Fattoush salad every day of my life! DD's nickname is "fattoush" because I craved it during my pregnancy with her and I would eat it at least three times a week! I grew up in the Detroit area, it has the second largest Arab population in the U.S (growing up it was the largest). It was really cool, different areas had different countries. My area had a concentration of immigrants from Iran, so I ate lots of Iranian food. My sisters godparents are Lebanese (they introduced my Mom and Dad), loved when they visited because the wife always cooked for us. We’ve started making our own Lebanese pickles at home. It was the one thing we couldn’t find at the grocery stores around us and we love them with shawarma. Definitely going to look for that cookbook, thank you for recommending it!
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Deleted
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Jun 30, 2024 6:07:50 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jul 20, 2022 20:43:49 GMT
Merhaba habeebatee!!!!!! I have learned over the years from MIL. I have tried to write down many of her recipes. One of my most treasured cookbooks though is "The Gaza Kitchen". The Gaza KitchenI am pretty sure this is the newer edition. Both DH and MIL have commented that these recipes are closest to what MIL makes. GREAT, GREAT recipe for lentils in there! If you really like Middle Eastern food, I highly highly recommend this book! This cookbook looks really good. Our library has the 2012 book. I put a request and I may buy the newer version. The author lives in Maryland, and I grew up in Maryland. My book is the 2012 book because I have had it for about that long. Happened to find it on a Stateside trip. It really is one of my favorites and highly used. This book gave me a tip on making saj bread which is an important ingredient to my most favorite Palestinian dish...Fettah. It's this scrumptious dish that has the bread and rice mixed together then topped with a roasted chicken, sprinkled with pan roasted almonds. AAAAAGGGGGHHHHHH! The book suggested that if you did not have the griddle to make the saj bread, turn a wok upside down (only works on a gas burner though) and lay the flat dough on top and brown and flip. I earned MAJOR points with MIL the first time I did that and made that dish.
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Deleted
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Jun 30, 2024 6:07:50 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jul 20, 2022 20:44:56 GMT
allipeas , I am NEVER gonna skin a garbanzo bean so...just wondering--do you offer a mail order falafel service? Well.....I would...but I have to tell you the shipping out of Morocco is not only precarious but VERY expensive!
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Deleted
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Jun 30, 2024 6:07:50 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jul 20, 2022 20:47:53 GMT
I have to add, years ago, I thought all Middle Eastern food is the same. But as I have traveled and made friends I have learned what a difference!!! My BFF is from Ramallah and her dishes are vastly different than what I make. I have Jordanian friends that make a dish called the same but tastes completely different. Of all Middle Eastern food, I find that Syrian/Lebanese is my absolute fav. I could literally eat Fattoush salad every day of my life! DD's nickname is "fattoush" because I craved it during my pregnancy with her and I would eat it at least three times a week!That's one of the dishes my son's partner taught me. I could eat it every day during the summer. He brings me back aleppo pepper, za'atar, and sumac when he goes to Jordan to visit family. I go through so much of them. OMG! Za'atar is LIFE to most Palestinians. We've had it from different places, but it is just NOT THE SAME as what you get out of Jordan/Syria/Palestine. Do you know the dish manaeesh? Real simple to do with za'atar and really yummy too!
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