【中東炸鷹嘴豆餠 Falafel】
還在讀書的年頭，我在加拿大初次接觸到中東食物，坦然當年還未懂得欣賞那些香料的味道組合。但當開始入廚後，慢慢去了解中東菜系中會用到什麼材料、怎樣處理那些材料，的確令我大開眼界。就像這道Falafel，用上打碎的鷹嘴豆和香料，再搓成小球狀，落鑊炸香，甚至還要取代肉丸放在包中一起進食，當年的確啟發了我去創作新的豆類菜式。
其實創意並不需要所有元素也是全新的，有時候用上不同的組合方法，其實已經是另一回事。
P.S. 如果想看這段視頻教學，就立即上《煤氣教煑》YouTube頻道收看啦！
I like falafels not only because they are delicious, but also when I was a young chef back then, this food inspired me with a different way of cooking with legumes, which is not an ingredient that we use a lot in Cantonese cooking (or I should say legumes rarely is the star of a dish).
To me, the process and techniques of cooking are often easy and simple, but learning a new way of using common ingredients that I have never thought of is extremely fascinating.
P.S. If you want to see the video of how I made falafel, go to Towngas Cooking Channel and find out more!
份量 Servings : 15-18件 pc
材料 Ingredients：
— 中東炸鷹嘴豆餠 Falafel —
乾鷹嘴豆 Dried chickpeas 220 g
意大利芫荽 Parsley 1 bunch
芫荽 Coriander 1 bunch
蒜頭 Garlic 4 cloves
洋蔥 Onion 1/2 pc
孜然粉 Cumin powder 1 tsp
芫荽籽粉 Ground Coriander Seeds 1 tsp
卡宴辣椒粉 Cayenne pepper 1/2 tsp
梳打粉 Baking soda 1/4 tsp
檸檬汁 Lemon juice 2 tsp
麵粉 Plain flour 1 tbsp
調味 Seasoning "
— 中東芝麻醬汁 Tahini Dipping Sauce —
中東芝麻醬 Tahini 6 tbsp
蒜頭 Garlic 1 clove
檸檬汁 Lemon juice 2 tbsp
橄欖油 Olive oil 1/2 tbsp
水 Water 4 tbsp
-----------------------------------
做法 Directions：
首先將乾鷹嘴豆浸水浸過夜，第二天瀝水備用。
將鷹嘴豆、意大利芫荽、芫荽、蒜頭、洋蔥、數款香料、梳打粉、麵粉、檸檬汁和調味放入食物處理器中打碎，倒出備用。放在雪櫃冷藏數小時。
數小時後，用手搓成18顆小球。放入已預熱至180度的熱油當中炸3分鐘至金黃色便完成。
製作中東芝麻醬汁。把蒜蓉、中東芝麻醬、橄欖油和檸檬汁放在碗中，拌勻。逐少加入水份，一邊拌勻直至滑身。
First, soak the dried chickpeas in water overnight. Drain well and reserve for later use.
Pulse the chickpeas, parsley, coriander, garlic, chopped onion, spices, baking soda, flour, lemon juice and seasoning in a food processor, until all chickpeas become coarse grains. Scoop everything out into a bowl and store in the fridge for a couple of hours.
After a few hours, divide the mixture into 18 equal portions and roll them into little balls. Deep-fry them in a pot of 180C hot oil for about three minutes or until they become golden brown in colour. You may have to fry them in two to three batches.
Make the tahini dipping sauce. Mix minced garlic, tahini, olive oil and lemon juice in a bowl. Mix well. Add water in little by little, while whisking everything together until it reaches a smooth and rather watery consistency.