Savour authentic Arabic delights involving mince and chickpeas with Simran Dhanju’s scrumptious recipes.
Kibbe
Ingredients:
- 1kg lamb mince
- 2 medium onions, chopped
- ¼ cup pine nuts
- 1 ½tsp allspice
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon powder
- 1tsp cumin powder
- Freshly ground black pepper, few dashes
- 3tbsp fresh mint, finely chopped
- 1cup burghul (cereal food)
- 1cup water
- Salt
- 1tsp sumac (optional)
- 2tbsp oil
- Oil for frying
Method:
- Soak burghul in water and keep aside for 30 minutes.
- Heat oil in a pan, add 1/3 of chopped onions, stir for a couple of minutes to sweat the onions, add pine nuts and stir for another 2 minutes.
- To this, add 300g of mince and stir to cook for 6-8 minutes on medium-high heat; season with salt and pepper, add sumac and remove in a bowl.
- Blend the rest of the mince, onions, mint and blend together in a food processor, until it’s well combined and is a little smooth in texture.
- Remove mince in a bowl, add salt, cayenne pepper, black pepper, cinnamon, cumin, five spice and soaked burghul; mix them well to combine together.
- Take a heaped tablespoon of mince in your palms and make a small golf-sized ball, push your thumb in it to make a cavity for filling and with the help of the other hand, shape it to make a little cone, stuff it with 2 tsp of filling, join the open end to secure the filling and shape it into little rugby balls.
- Repeat with the rest of the mince.
- Heat oil for deep frying and fry at medium heat at 190 degree Celsius.
- Serve the kibbe with tahini sauce.
Simran is a celebrated chef and a winner of multi cooking competitions; she creates visual delights artfully by merging traditional flavours.
Falafel
Ingredients:
- 1cup chickpeas
- ½tsp baking soda
- ½tsp baking powder
- ½tbsp plain flour
- 1tsp cumin powder
- 1tsp coriander powder
- ¼tsp cayenne pepper or chilli powder
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic
- 3-4tbsp of parsley, chopped
- ½tsp sesame seeds
- Salt to taste
- Oil for frying
Method:
- Soak chickpeas overnight or for 6 to 8 hours; drain and add them to a food processor.
- Add all other ingredients, except sesame seeds and baking soda; blend to make a coarse paste or mince. Now add sesame seeds, baking soda and powder.
- With the help of a falafel instrument or ice-cream scoop, shape them in thick disks or flat balls and deep fry in medium hot oil for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, until golden brown.
- Serve as it is with tahini sauce or make pita pockets with salad and tahini.