Falafel is more than just a snack in the UAE. It is your 3am hunger solution, your favourite road trip accompaniment, and the perfect companion for a juicy chicken shawarma. Bite into one piece of this crispy, brown fritter dunked in creamy and lightly sour tahini sauce, and your taste buds will involuntarily get your hands reaching for a second piece.
Made with either chickpeas or fava beans, which are spiced with cumin and blended with coriander, falafel is a staple in Middle Eastern cuisines. Whether you eat it from a street food stall in town, or a notable restaurant in the city, the love for falafel remains the same. Perhaps because it suits every palate across the world, due to its robust flavours.
When Gulf News Food spoke to a few UAE expatriates and an expert, we discovered that there’s much more to the Middle Eastern falafel….
Falafel for a healthy breakfast in Jordan
The oil used in frying the falafel is always changed because it affects the flavour of the falafel. If fried in oxidised oil, it tastes greasier. We take the frying process very seriously.
“It is not a snack for us, but a part of our breakfast,” said Jordanian expatriate and Dubai-based dietician Razan Shwayhat. “We prepare it all the time, especially during weekends when our whole family came home. My mum would prepare it at home, when she had the time; but the best versions of this would be found at these two restaurants, Abu Jbara and Al Kalha, in Jordan.”
If this idea seems relatively new to you, you should try our falafel breakfast wrap. For many in the Middle East, falafels are served as part of a breakfast meal, along with hummus and foul. “In the Middle East, we take our breakfast very seriously,” wrote Sydney-based award-winning Chef Michael Rantissi in his book Falafel for breakfast. “We think of it as the most important meal of the day, and the classic approach is to serve a collection of dishes for people to share…. No breakfast is complete without falafel.”
Rich in fibre, falafel is often used as a filling for warm and toasty pita breads to make a quick sandwich, an ingredient for a salad, or served as is. “Eating falafel comes with benefits,” explained Shwayhat. “It is quite nutritious, because it is rich in protein, carbohydrates, vitamins, fibre and minerals. When made with hummus or chickpeas and foul or fava beans, the falafel comes with double the protein. Moreover, there is a higher demand for falafel because it’s often associated with vegan food. In fact, I make falafel sandwich with readymade falafels for my children. It is perfect for an on-the-go meal and I don’t have to worry about it being unhealthy.”
In addition to this, Shwayhat also explains that the falafels served in Jordan have a unique taste. Not only do they add chopped onions spiced with sumac, a tangy spice made with ground wild berries, but the oil also makes a difference. “The oil used in frying the falafel is always changed because it affects the flavour of the falafel. If fried in oxidised oil, it tastes greasier. We take the frying process very seriously. Moreover, I have also noticed that many restaurants have opted for baking falafel nowadays.”
As different as the falafel is in Jordan, it is equally unique in Palestine.
A greener falafel in Palestine
This was the ‘fast food’ back in the day, before burgers came into the picture. We used to have it every day during Ramadan, when I was younger
We caught up with 58-year-old Palestinian chef Salam Dakkak, who runs the popular Palestinian restaurant Bait Maryam in Dubai. “Falafel is popularly known as a street food dish, but every region has a different version. It has a very standard preparation process, but there are variations when it comes to the spices added, the vegetables used. Palestinians, in general, like their falafels to be made with more vegetables; we like the flavour it brings and the ‘green’ colour of the falafel after frying.
“The best thing about making a falafel is that there are limitless possibilities. Some skip the vegetables and add the spice, whereas some focus more on the pulses used. This was the ‘fast food’ back in the day, before burgers came into the picture. We used to have it every day during Ramadan, when I was younger. There are so many memories associated with this snack. I remember how the shopkeeper used to give us two to three extra pieces of falafel to eat, when we used to wait for a packet to take home.”
Like Chef Salam said, falafels in Palestine come in more than one form. It varies in every house, with some families safeguarding their secret recipes as well. However, no matter the recipe, Palestinian falafels are made with soaked garbanzo beans and are also fried differently, wherein some are either shallow-fried or baked to the required crunch.
Once fried or baked, they are served fresh out of the oil and are often recommended not be reheated. The falafel mix, on the other hand, can be refrigerated for a few days and can be fried when required. Another key ingredient added in Palestinian falafels is baking soda, which ensures that the falafel doesn’t break apart while frying.
Do us a ‘fava’ and pass the Egyptian falafel
We have different versions of falafel. Some are classic with vegetables, some with extra spices, and some with cheese and popularly, one with beef – which we call basterma or pastirma falafel.
In Egypt, a street food stall is often hidden behind pyramids of falafels stacked up, light and crispy on the outside, soft on the inside. The magic of these soft falafels, or ta’ameya (as it is colloquially known) lie in the use of dried fava beans.
“In the Egyptian falafel, we primarily use foul or fava beans,” explained 42-year-old Egyptian expatriate who works as the manager for Kazoza – an Egyptian restaurant at The Pointe, Dubai. “We eat it as a breakfast meal traditionally and when it is served in the night, it is usually for big gatherings. For breakfast, it would be served with a cheese platter and scrambled eggs and is absolute bliss.”
The Egyptian falafel isn’t just limited to fava beans though. For a dish that’s considered vegan, falafels also has non-vegetarian options in Egypt. “We have different versions of falafel. Some are classic with vegetables, some with extra spices, and some with cheese and popularly, one with beef – which we call basterma or pastirma falafel.
“We make falafels at home only when it is too cold to go out and buy them. It would be a little different, especially because it would be crispier due to the addition of egg and would be served with a yoghurt dip. Sometimes we would make it spicier by adding red chillies, sesame seeds, and cheese. Even the sizes would be different and there would be three kinds of falafel – one would be the regular serving size, one would be the size of your palm and another would be a tall falafel.”
A rarity at Lebanese homes
Falafel bridges the gaps in society as it is eaten by people from different walks of life, all over the world.
“It is very rare to find a house in Lebanon that makes falafels at home,” said Dubai-based food blogger Christina Naim, who is popularly known as @lebanoneats. “It is popular as a street food snack in Lebanon. In fact, there is a tale that everyone in Lebanon knows – it’s about the falafel brothers.”
“I personally can’t eat falafel anymore due to health reasons, but from what I remember, the Lebanese falafels have a different flavour altogether. Perhaps it’s because in Lebanon the shops use local ingredients. It’s very hard to replicate that flavour, and makes me nostalgic thinking about it. But on the bright side, falafel bridges the gaps in society as it is eaten by people from different walks of life, all over the world,” added Naim.
Delicious memories of falafel in the UAE
Long lines, impatient and hungry customers, and massive crowds – these are what you would find at every falafel stall or Middle Eastern restaurant in the UAE, as you wait for a batch of freshly fried falafels.
“Growing up in Jordan, I remember the days when we used to stand in really long lines to get falafel, hot and freshly made. By the time we got home, most of it would be over because we used to eat it on the way back. So, we would buy an extra batch and finish that packet on the way home. I believe Operation Falafel comes quite close to what we get back home,” said Shwayat.
Adding to the many memories for falafel, 29-year-old Nada Darraj, who is Chef Salam’s daughter and brand manager of Bait Maryam said: “Every summer, when we used to visit our grandparents’ house, we would be served falafel, with foul and hummus dips. My mum and grand mum would buy it from this particular street food lane where they used to make it fresh every morning. Falafel meant family gathering in our house, especially on Fridays when all of us would meet after prayers. When making it at home, my grand mum used to say, ‘the greener it is, the better’, and one piece would never be enough.”
For Allam, falafel brings memories from his childhood. “I am from Alexandria, and I remember the time when I was in school. We used to have all these falafel stalls outside the campus and it would even be served in our school canteen. There would be all these varieties and it would be quite inexpensive, priced at Dh0.50 to Dh1, which was perfect considering we eat a lot of it at a small price.
“I think my fondest memory of falafel is that once my friend and I had gone around Lebanon eating falafels from different shops and we couldn’t decide on which tasted best because they all tasted delicious,” said Naim, while remembering her trip to Lebanon.
So, what makes the perfect falafel?
A good falafel must be very crunchy on the outside, and fluffy on the inside. It should be a balance between crumbly and fluffy, and should not be damp.
Time is a key ingredient, for a good falafel must be prepared well in advance; at least 24 hours before. Since each Middle Eastern country has a different version for this popular dish, a good falafel “must be very crunchy on the outside, and fluffy on the inside,” explained London-based chef and cookbook author Anissa Helou, who specialises in Middle Eastern cuisine. “It has to be well-seasoned of course. The trick is in frying, actually. It should be a balance between crumbly and fluffy, and should not be damp. It is best to add a bit of bicarbonate of soda at the end, so that the falafel balls ‘puff up’ when fried.”
In the end, falafel also comes with the greatest benefit of all – you don’t have to travel the world to try these unique versions in the Middle East. You can try out the recipes for falafel from Palestine, Egypt and Lebanon at home instead!
Share your food stories and recipes with us on food@gulfnews.com.
