Based in Manila, Philippines, Dessert Comes First is a chronicle of the food-obsessed food writer, Lori Baltazar. This website is all about desserts, restaurants, coffee, and the pleasures of homebaking. Read more about me Falafel
Fri, May 22nd of 2009
9:41 am
It looks quite the unappetizing dish, I know.
I eat lunch alone every day, save for those times when I’m meeting up with friends or am off to a noontime photo shoot. My Bin is at work and I don’t share Boo’s penchant for red hotdogs and other (in)edibles that delight independent-minded 6 year olds. So I use these mid-day breaks to cook meals that no one else in the family likes: i.e. meats and dried fruit, anything durian-based, or like today, my attempt at falafel, similar to the one I eat in Paris.
A dish of Middle Eastern origin, falafel is (usually) a deep-fried croquette made of highly-spiced, mashed chickpeas. Wonderful stuffed into pitas or tortillas and smothered in garlic yogurt, it’s a nutritious meal especially when paired with shredded Brussels sprouts and tomatoes, as seen here. The recipe I use today is from the April 2009 issue of Foodie magazine. These falafels are baked instead of fried which gives them a crunchy exterior. Paired with a glass of sweet wine, I cherish my quiet, solitary lunches.
10 Comments »
RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URL
Leave a comment
Submit your comment once. It will not show up right away.
i love felafel. meatless, nutty, crunchy protein and fiber packed morsels. although they do go so well in a pita with lots of fries, dill pickles, tahini and chili so i guess that cancels all the goodness out? haha
[Reply]
Comment by anonymous paul — May 22, 2009 @ 12:49 pm
i have never tasted this dish but sounds yum!
[Reply]
Comment by MrsLavendula — May 22, 2009 @ 3:38 pm
Falafels are addictive for me — can’t get enough of that crunchy nuttiness! Not surprising, since I haven’t yet met a form of garbanzos I don’t like.
Speaking of garbanzos and France, I SO want to try socca — a sort of savory pancake made from chick peas that’s a regional specialty of Nice. I’m positive I’d love it!
[Reply]
Comment by Katrina — May 23, 2009 @ 1:46 am
lori
do you have any recipe for beef kababs? like the ones sold in mr.kabab. i really like to make some at home
thanks!
[Reply]
Comment by pao — May 24, 2009 @ 10:43 pm
– lori
[Reply]
Comment by lori — May 25, 2009 @ 9:53 am
Hi Lori, please email me too the recipe for Beef Kebabs. Thanks!
[Reply]
Comment by Ango — May 26, 2009 @ 5:53 pm
I’ve been seeing a lot of Persian foodstalls in my travels around here in Europe, and never had the courage to try falafel. I agree with you that it looks rather unappetizing, but thanks to your post, Lori…
…I’m about the rush to the nearest kebab stall here in Roma, to try those chickpea treats you wrote about!
[Reply]
Comment by Julla — May 27, 2009 @ 1:41 am
I love falafel. I used to eat it all the time when I lived in Israel. Did you know that Israelis add french fries to their falafel filled pita pockets? It’s amazing!
[Reply]
Comment by Alana @ springpad — May 28, 2009 @ 12:44 am
I looooove falafels! But I never get to eat it here in the Philippines. Would you know of any restaurants here that serves good falafels?
[Reply]
Comment by Joni Andrea — May 28, 2009 @ 8:48 am
felafels and moussaka….yummie!
[Reply]
Comment by Julia — June 3, 2009 @ 3:44 am