Living in NYC gives you access to some pretty great food. Recently, I stumbled upon a really good Scottish egg but it was not a Scottish egg. It was not wrapped in the traditional pork mixture. It was wrapped in falafel mix. Huh? Oh, my friends, yes. I would not lie to you.
Homemade Falafel Recipe
So rather than me blabber on about food, let’s get to it. I use fresh Falafel mix. I also don’t cook the chickpeas. I simply soak them in water overnight and then put them through my Cuisinart to make a coarse paste. This gives the falafel a lighter, less compact consistency. This is a classic falafel recipe that you could surely experiment with.
- 2 cups dried chickpeas
- 1 onion, fresh grated (again Cuisinart that sucker)
- 4 minced garlic cloves
- 1 semi-packed cup fresh parsley
- 1 semi-packed cup fresh cilantro
- 2 tsp kosher salt (ha!)
- 1 TBL coriander seed freshly ground
- 1/2 tsp cayenne
- 2 1/2 tsp cumin
- 3 Tb flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
Get your kids involved. It’s fun and gets them into cook mode early on so that they can later woo and court their partners with the power of food. It works every time. Trust me. And it does not involve any dairy or meat products so have fun with it!
Take all the ingredients except the flour, baking soda and baking powder and make a coarse paste in your Cuisinart. Remember, only add those last three ingredients if you are ready to cook. If not, store the falafel mix in the refrigerator.
If you are ready to cook, mix the flour, soda, and powder into the mix. It should be a dry paste so that it holds together properly.
Meanwhile back at the boiler…
Preparing The Japanese Egg
Use small eggs. I prepare them the Japanese way (Ajitsuke Tamago) so that the egg has no chance of over-cooking. I also only put a thin layer (4mm) of falafel mix around the egg.
Bring 2 quarts of water to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Pierce the fat end of each egg with a thumbtack to make a tiny hole (this prevents them from cracking and eliminates the air bubble at the end). Carefully lower eggs into the water with a wire mesh spider or slotted spoon or your cyborg hand. Reduce heat to maintain a bare simmer. Cook for exactly 6 minutes. Drain hot water and carefully peel eggs under cold running water (the whites will be quite delicate).
Cooking Your Middle Eastern Egg
Bring some oil (I do mine in a little sauce pan) to 375 degrees and drop the egg. Make sure it is submerged in oil. Once the falafel egg is golden brown in color, watch it carefully. Take them out just as it passes golden brown into dark brown.
You can serve it with Sriracha, Thai Nam Jim, tahini and cucumber yogurt, or even ketchup for the kids. Read the room and figure it out.
This is me and that’s you, over and out. Enjoy.
Just found your site looking for this specific recipe. About 20 years ago I spent a short stint in Cairo as a student. There was a place about 100 yards from our hotel that the Lonely Planet Guide called the “Best Restaurant in Cairo”. High accolades indeed despite the fact that no matter how much food I ordered the bill never got more than $5 in adjusted dollars. I had these several times for breakfast while I was there. My friend and I would examine them dumbstruck saying, “How in the hell did they get the egg in there?” So impressed was I by this dish that 20 years later I still occasionally search for it, and here I am. You have an interesting blog and I will be back. There should be more comments. After I make this I’ll let you know how it went.
Yeah, let me know how it goes.