Heavenly Delicate Challah Topped with Sweet Crumble

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NAME AND PRONUNCIATION: chałka [how-kah]
DESCRIPTION: challah—sweet brioche type of bread
TYPE OF CUISINE: Eastern European—Jewish

This is one of the most important types of bread of my childhood, so it took me ages to this recipe perfectly right. My prefect challah is delicate, but not too puffy, never ever dry and with shiny, dark golden crust.

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2 challahs • Preparation time: about 35 minutes • Resting time: 1 hours plus 30 minutes • Baking time: about 20 minutes

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TIPS:

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01
Challah can be made sweeter if you want it as a dessert or a sweet snack, or less sweet if you would like to use it for an open, savoury sandwich. Adjust sugar accordingly – use 5 or even 6 tablespoons of sugar, if you like your bread a little sweeter, and reduce it down to 2 tablespoons, if you prefer your bread less sweet.

02
If you decide to make your challah less sweet, you can also top is with poppyseeds or sesame seeds, instead the sweet crumble.

BRAIDING TECHNIQUE:

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01
Lay out all the strands to make it look like a 6-arm octopus and number them in your head them from 1 to 6 left to right. Now, it is time to weave! Take the strand 1 and place it all the way to the right, behind the strand 6.

02
Now take the strand 6 and place it all the way to the left. Your strands will now run 6, 2, 3, 4, 5, 1, with strands 1 and 6 running on top of other strands. Strand 1 is first across and strand 6 is just below.

03
Now notice the middle of your challah, which is in between strands 3 and 4.

04
Take strand 1, move it over strand 6 and to the middle of your challah, so between strands 3 and 4. Your order now is 6, 2, 3, 1, 4 and 5.

05
Now take strand 2 and place it all the way to the right making it 6, 3, 1, 4, 5 and 2. The middle is now between strands 1 and 4. Take strand 6 and put it down over strand 2 into the middle.

06
In short, the general rule of weaving is this: you need two strands across your challah, one on top, one below. You place the one on top over the one on the bottom and in the middle of your challah. Then add another across strand coin in the opposite direction to the one you have left. Having two strands across again, always bring the top one across the bottom one in the middle of your challah. Repeat until you finish braiding all the strands.

07
At the end, pinch all strands together and fold underneath.

INGREDIENTS:

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Challah:
✽ 550 g all-purpose flour
✽ ½ cup warm milk
✽ ½ cup warm water
✽ 30 g butter
✽ 1 egg
✽ 5 tablespoons sugar
✽ 1 tablespoon instant yeast

Sweet Crumble:
✽ 1 tablespoon butter
✽ 1 tablespoon flour
✽ 1 tablespoon sugar

METHOD:

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01
Melt butter in a small pot and set aside to cool.

02
Sift the flour, add all ingredients, including cooled, melted butter and knead for at least 20 minutes, until the dough is silky smooth.

03
Place it a bowl, cover with a tea towel and put in a warm place for it to rise for about 1 hour. Use these tips on raising a perfect dough.

04
After the dough has doubled its size, take it out on a worktop and knead for few seconds. Split it in two, cover one half with a tea towel and spilt the other one into six equal parts. Roll out each part to form 6 equal strands.

05
Lay the six strands side-by-side, then pinch all 6 tops together so they are connected at the top. Fold the pinched bit underneath, so the strands do not fall apart. Braid your challah slowly, closely following the directions above.

06
When you finish braiding both challahs, proof them in a warm place and covered with tea towels for about 30 minutes.

07
While you are proofing your challahs, make the sweet crumble. Simply combine all ingredients, form a neat ball and place in a fridge.

08
Once your challahs are proofed, cover them with egg white or egg wash, sprinkle with sweet crumble (the best way is to grate chilled crumble on a cheese grater and sprinkle on your loaves) and bake in 180ºC for about 20-25 minutes.

Enjoy!

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The Best Doughnuts with Lemon Glaze with Strawberry and Rose Filling

Name and pronunciation: pączki z różą [punch-key z roo-Jean; “Jean” prononuced in a French way]
Description: doughnuts with rose filling

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I love Polish doughnuts! They are absolutely delicious, not too sweet and much less dense than many other types of doughnuts. Also, they are always in a shape of balls and most often with lovely filling inside. They resemble berliners, but are more delicate inside. The most traditional type of Polish doughnuts is one with a rose jam filling and topped with thick glaze and candied orange peel.

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10 doughnuts • Preparation time: about 45 minutes • Resting time: 1 hours plus 30 minutes • Frying time: about a minute for each doughnut

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Tips:

01
Make sure you use enough flour for dusting your doughnuts before proofing. They will be very delicate and you do not want them to stick.

02
When placing your risen doughnut in the oil, handle them very gently. They need to stay perfectly round and fluffy.

03
While I absolutely love my doughnuts with a filling, my family prefer plain doughnuts, only glazed. It is perfectly fine, they will be lovely either way!

04
Every rose is edible, but you should never ever consume commercial roses from flower shops. They are treated with many chemicals and are never safe to eat. You can get dry rose buds in Asian shops or health stores, in a tea section. Simply remove the green parts and add the rest to the fruit.

05
You can mix the glaze with a spoon, but I like using a blender to make it super smooth.

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Ingredients:

Doughnuts:
✽ 2 cups all-purpose flour
✽ ½ cup warm milk
✽ 2 yolks
✽ 1 egg
✽ 35 g butter
✽ 4 tablespoons vanilla sugar
✽ 7 g dry yeast
✽ ⅓ teaspoon salt

Filling:
✽ 4 cups strawberries (fresh or frozen)
✽ 4 tablespoons sugar
✽ 10 rose petals
✽ dash rosewater (can be replaced with plain water)

Lemon glaze:
✽ 2 cups powder sugar
✽ lemon juice

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Method:

01
Melt butter in a small pot and set aside to cool.

02
Meanwhile, beat the yolks with the egg with vanilla sugar until they are very fluffy and almost white.

03
Sift flour with salt into a mixing bowl. Add milk, yeast and eggs beaten with sugar, and gently mix.

05
Knead for about 15 minutes. The dough will be very sticky at first, but dusting the worktop with some flour will do the trick.

06
After 15 minutes, add melted, cooled butter and keep kneading. It seems like there is too much moisture at first, but keep kneading. Soon you will end up with a perfect, smooth dough. Keep going for another 15 minutes.

07
Cover and place in a warm place to raise for about an hour.

08
Use this time to make a filling. Making the filling is super easy. In a small saucepan, place strawberries, add a dash of rosewater, rose petals and sugar. Start with about 4 tablespoons of sugar and add more if you need to. Simmer on low heat and keep stirring every so often, so it doesn’t burn. Stop when the filling is nicely thick. Cool.

09
After an hour, you dough should be twice the size. Knead a little bit to let the air out and roll out on a worktop. Cut about 10 circles with a cake cutter or roll into 10 equal balls. You can weigh the dough portions to make sure they are the same. Dust with flour generously, cover with a tea towel and place on a flat surface to proof. Keep them quite far from each other, they will raise significantly.

10
Now, it is time to deep-fry them. I like using a wok for it. Heat up enough oil to cover a half of your doughnuts. The oil should be hot enough to sizzle when you place your doughnuts, but they should not brown too fast or they will burn. Gently place about 3 doughnuts in the oil and fry. When the bottom side is nicely browned, flip them using a straining spoon. Continue with the rest.

11
When brown on both sides, it is time to remove them from oil and place on a cooling rack.

12
If you choose to add filling, you need to do it when your doughnuts are just cool enough to handle, or the filling will not have enough space inside. You can either use a piping bag with a special, long tip, or simply get a syringe (the largest size). Pierce each doughnut on a side (the light ring is the softest part) and inject a portion of the filling to the middle of your doughnuts.

13
When cooled completely, cover with lemon glaze. To make glaze, simply add lemon juice to the sugar few drops at the time and mix energetically. Powder sugar mixes with the smallest amount of liquid and you need your glaze very thick, so be careful not to add too much juice at once. Dip doughnuts in gaze and sprinkle with finely grated lemon peel before the glaze sets.

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Enjoy!

Delicious Apple Pie with Banana and Cardamom

Name and pronunciation: szarlotka [shar-lot-kah]
Description: apple pie
Type of cuisine: Eastern European

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It is a delicious twist on my Traditional Polish Apple Pie. Adding bananas instead of upping the sugar is a great solution when your apples are not very sweet. Cardamom is amazing and flavourful, especially combined with cinnamon. Together, so good and easy to make!

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10 servings • Preparation time: about 2 hours • Baking time: 50-60 minutes

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Tips:

01
If your over tends to underperform at the bottom (like mine), pre-bake the bottom crust for about 10-15 minutes.

02
When you start, make sure butter is cold and very hard.

03
Used what you have in your kitchen to create an original look for your pie. Here, I used a pizza cutter to cut pastry strips and my son’s playdough star cutter, since my cookie cutters were too big.

04
Serve it with our thick, creamy caramel sauce. Amazing!

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Ingredients:

Pastry:
✽ 300 g all-purpose flour
✽ 250 g butter
✽ 1 medium to large egg
✽ 3 tablespoons sugar
✽ 2 tablespoons vanilla sugar
✽ 1½ teaspoons baking powder
✽ powder sugar (or a mix of sugar and cinnamon) to dust

Fruit filling:
✽ 1 kg apples
✽ 2 bananas
✽ 2 tablespoons sugar (or more to taste)
✽ 1 teaspoon cinnamon (or more to taste)
✽ 1 teaspoon cardamom (or more to taste)

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Method:

01
Make traditional Polish apple pie pastry following these instructions and place it wrapped in a fridge.

02
Peel, cut and cook apples the same way as in the traditional recipe.

03
When the apples are soft, mash them, then add two mashed bananas, sugar, cinnamon and cardamom. You can start from a teaspoon of each, but I actually like much more spices in my apple pie. They make fruit (especially apples) so fragrant and delicious.

04
Cool the apples throughly before layering them on the pre-baked bottom. It is an important step, since it will take you a little longer to place ornamental top and you do not want the heat from apples to melt butter in your apple pie pastry.

05
For the decorative top, roll out remaining half of cold pastry and cut any shapes you want. Gently lift them off the workspace with a wide, cold knife or, even better, a dough cutter. Place on cooled apples and bake the same as here.

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Enjoy!

Pierogi with Green Lentils and Coriander

Name and pronunciation: pierogi [pee-yeh-ro-ghi] – there is no need for the “s” at the end so often used in English. “Pierogi” is already a plural form.
Description: dumplings
Type of cuisine: Polish

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I absolutely love pierogi with green lentils. They are flavourful and have a great texture, actually resembling meat, so even the most dedicated carnivores are guaranteed to enjoy them. I add fresh coriander, so it is not strictly traditional Polish filling, but it is a real staple in our house and we eat tonnes of them!

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Approximately 40 servings • Preparation time: about 60 minutes • Resting time: 30 minutes (optional) • Cooking time: 1-2 minutes

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Tips:

01
With fresh pierogi, you have a choice between serving them just cooked, or frying them. After cooling or freezing, you should fry them.

02
Both fresh and fried pierogi are perfect when served with fried onions or sour cream.

03
Because you need to add two layers of dough to each bite, make sure that the filling is slightly saltier and a little bit spicer than you need it. This way it will be perfectly balanced when cooked.

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Ingredients:

Dough:
✽ one portion of pierogi dough

Green lentil filling:
✽ 200 g dry green lentils
✽ 1 large onion
✽ fresh coriander (to taste, I like quite a lot)
✽ salt (to taste)
✽ pepper (to taste)

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Method:

01
Make a portion of dough and set it aside for 30 minutes.

02
Cook the lentils until soft all the way through, but not mushy. The filling is much better when it retains the natural texture of perfectly cooked lentils. You will need about twice as much water as you are using lentils. 

03
Chop the onion and fry it until brown, but not crispy.

04
Drain cooked lentils. It is best to give them good few minutes to make sure all water is drained well and the filling is not too runny.

05
Mix cooked lentils, fried onion and chopped coriander while gently breaking the lentils with a fork, to achieve a consistency resembling cooked minced meat. Season with salt and pepper. 

06
Make pierogi following these instructions.

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Enjoy!

Iraqi Biryani

Name and pronunciation: البرياني [biryani]
Description: our favourite vegetarian version of Iraqi biryani
Type of cuisine: Arabic

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Iraqi biryani is the first dish my husband cooked for me and it is sill one of my favourite tastes. It differs from the original, Indian version. It has much more rich and complex flavours and textures. There are many different ways to make biryani and we make it vegetarian, but you can opt to add some meat as well.

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Approximately 4-6 people • Cooking time: about 60 minutes

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Tips:

01
All ingredients are quick and easy, but need to be prepared separately, so it is better to be organised and have everything ready in advance

02
Feel free to use the same oil to fry all the ingredients. You will need a little more oil than usually. It is not exactly deep-frying, but you need about ½ good quality olive oil. Use a draining spoon to remove one type of ingredient, before adding another one.

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Ingredients:

✽ medium potato
✽ 1-2 medium carrots
✽ 1 medium onion
✽ ½ cauliflower
✽ 2 cups rice (best to use basmati variety)
✽ cup vermicelli
✽ 2 cups frozen green peas
✽ 1-2 handfuls raisins
✽ 1-2 handfuls almonds or other nuts
✽ 2 tablespoons cinnamon
✽ 1½ tablespoons cardamom
✽ 1½ tablespoons sumac
✽ 1 tablespoon salt (to taste)
✽ 1 teaspoon black pepper

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Method:

01
Cut the cauliflower into very small pieces and cook until a little soft. Drain and set aside.

02
Peel and chop the potato, carrot and onions into cubes. Heat up the oil and fry them separately until slightly brown and delicately crispy on the outside. Drain excessive oil using kitchen paper and set aside in one dish.

03
Now, it is time to toast the nuts and raisins. Nuts only need a minute until they are golden and very aromatic. Raisins may need a little longer, but be careful not to fry them for too long as they become hard. When first raisins get pumped and start looking like grapes again, it is time to stop. Drain and set aside.

04
Thew the green peas with boiling water. You do not have to cook it, it is enough to let it sit in hot water for about 10 minutes and drain.

05
Meanwhile, in a large pot, heat up a generous portion of good olive oil, add dry vermicelli and all the spices. Fry until the pasta turns slightly golden, for approximately a minute or two. Add dry rice, and fry everything together for another 5 minutes.

06
Bring about 5 cups of water to boil in a kettle and pour over fried vermicelli and rice. Cover it (not completely) and simmer until the rice is soft and almost all water is gone. It should take about 10 minutes. Then turn off the heat, cover completely and let sit for about 5 more minutes, until the rice is perfect.

07
Stir the rice with vermicelli and add all vegetables, raisins and nuts. Stir everything thoroughly and serve with thick natural yogurt.

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Enjoy!

Delicious Pierogi with Cottage Cheese

Name and pronunciation: pierogi z serem [pee-yeh-ro-ghi z seh-rem] – there is no need for the “s” at the end so often used in English. “Pierogi” is already a plural form.
Description: dumplings with dry cottage cheese
Type of cuisine: Polish

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This is a true taste of my childhood. My late maternal grandmother made the best pierogi with cheese. This recipe is based on how she made them.

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Approximately 40 pieces • Preparation time: about 60 minutes • Resting time: 30 minutes (optional) • Cooking time: 1-2 minutes

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Tips:

01
With fresh pierogi, you have a choice between serving them just cooked, or frying them. After cooling or freezing, you should fry them.

02
Both fresh and fried pierogi with cottage cheese are perfect when served with fried onions or sour cream.

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Ingredients:

Dough:
✽ one portion of pierogi dough

Cottage cheese filling:
✽ 250 g Polish dry cottage cheese 
✽ 250 g potatoes
✽ 1 large onion
✽ 1 teaspoon salt (to taste)
✽ 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
✽ 2 teaspoons black seed (Nigella Sativa, to taste)

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Method:

01
Make a portion of dough and set it aside for 30 minutes.

02
Cook the potatoes until very soft. Cool them and mash them thoroughly.

03
Chop the onion and fry it until brown, but not crispy yet. Mix all the ingredients together.

04
Make pierogi following instructions.

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Enjoy!

Simple Chocolate Crackle Cookies

My family loves these simple cookies. They are chocolatey, but not too sweet. You need to plan them a little in advance, since the dough has to harden in a fridge for at least few hours.

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Approximately 30 cookies • Preparation time: about 30 minutes • Cooling time: at least 2 hours, could be overnight • Baking time: 12 minutes

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Tips:

01
If you can prepare the dough the day before, do. It can be chilled in a fridge overnight, no problem. If the dough is not cold enough, icing sugar will melt into the cookie and you will lose the nice crackle effect.

02
If cannot chill them for more than 2 hours, do not worry. It should be enough, just split the dough in few pieces, this way it will chill more quickly.

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Ingredients:

✽ 225 g baking chocolate
✽ 110 g butter
✽ 1⅔ cups flour
✽ ⅔ cup sugar
✽ 3 eggs
✽ 2 teaspoons vanilla
✽ ½ teaspoon baking powder
✽ pinch of salt
✽ powdered sugar for rolling

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Method:

01
Melt the butter and chocolate in a small pot. Use my tip to melt them easily and safely. Leave the pot to cool in a fridge.

02
Take the eggs and separate whites and yolks. First beat the whites until perfectly stiff and then add sugar (in 4 parts with few seconds of blending in between adding each part), and then yolks (one by one) and vanilla.

03
Now mix both the beaten eggs and the chocolate. You can keep gently blending, or you can do it by hand. If you prefer to mix by hand, make sure you are using a wide, wooden spoon and fold the chocolate in with the eggs.

04
Mix flour with salt and baking powder thoroughly, then mix them in with the wet ingredients. Form a ball from the dough, wrap to prevent from drying (I use beeswax covers, not to use plastic cling film) and chill until cold and hard.

05
After few hours (or a night), prepare the oven to baking (165ºC, line the tray with baking paper) and use a tablespoon to portion the dough. I use a measuring tablespoon, it has sharper edges and makes the process easier. From each portion make a small ball, roll it in icing sugar evenly and place on the tray to bake. No need to keep spaces too big, the cookies will get larger, but will keep their shape.

06
Bake for about 12 minutes (I love watching them crack) and cool.

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Enjoy!

Iraqi Flat Bread

Name and pronunciation: khubz [kh-oo-bz]
Description: flat bread
Country of origin: Iraq

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This Iraqi version of flat bread resembles Indian naan a little. It is soft and a little chewy, and not dry and flaky like, for example, pita bread. It is absolutely delicious and surprisingly easy to make. Traditionally, it is baked on the walls of a cylinder-shaped, clay oven called “tanoor”, but this recipe is adjusted to make it effortlessly on a flat, non-stick pan you normally use to make pancakes.

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8 large or 16 small servings • Preparation time: about 30 minutes • Rising time: 2 x 30 minutes

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Tips:

01
You can try different flour combinations. It will work each time with different types of flours, but taste and consistency will differ, so test and choose your favourite.

02
Use this tip for rising your dough quickly and efficiently.

03
Feel free to make more bread and freeze it. They defrost very quickly and stay as fresh as on the first day. Perfect!

04
Serve your khubz with zaatar, home-made hummus, or any other spread or paste. Tear a little piece or bread, fold it and use to take a bit of spread from a small bowl set in the middle of the table. If you are eating it with spices, wet it in oil first.

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Ingredients:

✽ 500 g all-purpose flour
✽ 250 g whole-wheat flour
✽ 1 cup warm milk
✽ 1 cup warm water
✽ 14 g dry yeast (two tablespoons or two little sachets)
✽ 1 tablespoon olive oil
✽ 1 tablespoon sugar
✽ 1-1½ teaspoon salt

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Method:

01 
First of all, mix water, milk, sugar and yeast in a small bowl to soak and activate the yeast. It will take about 15 minutes.

02 
While you are waiting for the yeast to froth, mix both types of flour with salt and oil in a large bowl.

03
Mix the dry and wet ingredients.

04
Knead the dough for about 15 minutes. It needs to be slightly wet on the surface, but not sticking to the worktop. This is a perfect consistency. I admit, it is not my favourite dough to knead. It is rather hard to work, but if you add too much water at this stage, it will be very difficult to form your breads.

05
Form a ball from the dough, place it in a large ball and cover it with a tea towel, or even better, with a pot lid (not to allow any dryness on the surface). Put it in a warm place and let it rise for 2-3 hours.

06
After that time, it should be at least twice the size. If it is smooth and just a little bit sticky on the surface, it means you have made the perfect dough. Do not worry if it deflates and drops when you are taking it out, it is completely normal.

07
Form a large ball from your dough and split it into eight or sixteen equal parts. Take each part and roll in your hands to form a ball. Line them on a baking tray or a worktop to raise some more. Cover again with a tea towel or waxed fabric.

08
Once each ball has doubled in size, your bread is ready for baking! Heat up the pan on the highest setting (no oil needed) and start making flat breads out of dough balls. Traditionally, khubz are stretched and formed all by hand, but you can also use a roller pin to get it into shape quickly. They should be quite thin, since they will still rise a little won the pan. Do not forget to cover back the remaining balls, as they dry very quickly.

09
Once on a pan, your khubz will be ready very quickly. Within seconds you will see small bubbles forming on the surface. It is an excellent sign! Wait another minute or two, and flip it. Nothing easier, it holds shape very well.

10
During cooling down process, they will get a little wet, so do not stack them up, but rather lie them out on a tea towel and wait until they are cold and dry. Then you cab serve, store or freeze them.

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Enjoy!

Polish Onion Bread

Name and pronunciation: cebularze [tzeh-boo-lah-zhuh; “zhuh” is pronounced like French “je”]
Description: onion bread
Type of cuisine: Polish

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This onion bread is an integral part of my region’s cuisine, so I was very surprised when I learnt that only people from my area knew about it. In recent years, it got more and more popular in other parts of Poland and all my friends absolutely love it!

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8 servings • Preparation time: about 30 minutes • Resting time: 60 + 30 minutes • Baking time: 40-50 minutes

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Tips:

01
You can prepare the onions the night before and leave them in a fridge overnight. They get very aromatic and flavourful this way.

02
Be careful not to leave them in the oven for too long. The dough needs to be soft and, since it is quite thin, it becomes crispy rather quickly.

03
Read my tip for rising perfect dough.

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Ingredients:

Onion topping:
✽ 3 large onions
✽ 3 tablespoons poppy seeds
✽ 2 tablespoon olive oil
✽ 1 teaspoon salt

Dough:
✽ 500 g all-purpose flour
✽ 250 ml (approx. 1 glass) warm milk
✽ 7 g dry yeast (one little packet)
✽ 60 g unsalted butter
✽ 1 egg
✽ 1 tablespoon sugar
✽ 1 tablespoon salt

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Method:

01 
Chop onions into small cubes and fry them with a little bit of oil on low temperature until it is soft. Then add poppy seed and salt and leave to cool down.

02 
Mix flour with yeast, sugar and salt. Melt butter in milk on very low heat (without letting it get too hot) and pour the liquid over the flour mix. Gently whisk the egg and add to the rest of ingredients, leaving a little bit as egg wash for edges.

03
Mix and then knead for at least 10 minutes, until the dough is perfectly smooth and light. Leave to rise in a warm, draft-free place for 60 minutes. After the dough has risen (best if it doubles in size), split it into 16 parts, shape each part into a ball and flatten on a baking tray lined with parchment paper, leaving some rising space between them.

04
Put a portion of onions you have prepared earlier on each bun and leave for another 30 minutes to rise. Generously brush with egg wash around edges and bake for about 20-25 minutes in 185ºC until nice and golden.

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Enjoy!

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This recipe was featured in Luxembourg City Magazine, November 2015 (page 28).

Photos: Sven Becker for CityMag, November 2015

Our Favourite Falafel

Name and pronunciation: فلافل [fah-lah-fell]
Description: falafel
Type of cuisine: Arabic

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The day I have made falafel my husband recognised and liked, was a very happy in our family! There are as many falafel recipes as families and this is our favourite, secret flavour.

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Approximately 40 falafels • Soaking chickpeas overnight • Preparation time: 30 minutes • Frying time: 20 minutes

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Tips:

01
Do not use tinned chickpeas for falafel, it is much too soft. You need to use dry variety instead.

02
Fry your falafels until they are golden brown, but make sure you do not overdo it. They should be delicately crispy on the outside and soft inside.

03
They will be just as good defrosted, so try to make more and freeze a batch or two. They defrost in a matter of minutes!

04
You can serve them on a plate, or wrapped in any kind of flat bread or a tortilla. My absolute favourite is Turkish Yufka bread (dürüm).

05
Use any sauce you like on your falafels. I like it most with a mixture of mayonnaise and amba. Amba is an Arabic sauce made of pickled mango and a blend of spices. It is very Iraqi thing to put amba on falafel and for a great reason, it is a divine combination! Every brand makes their own blend, so they tend to be very different. Keep looking until you find your perfect taste.

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Ingredients:

✽ 500 g chickpeas (dry, will make about 1,2 kg after soaking and cooking)
✽ 1-2 large onions
✽ 2-4 cloves of garlic (to taste)
✽ 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
✽ 2-3 teaspoons salt (to taste)
✽ 2 teaspoons turmeric
✽ some fresh parsley (optional, to taste)
✽ sesame seeds (optional, to taste)
✽ 2 teaspoons cumin*
✽ ¼ teaspoon ground coriander*
✽ 1 teaspoon black pepper*
✽ 1-2 pinches cardamom*
* OR use about 2-3 teaspoons of ready-made falafel mix

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Method:

01 
Soak dry chickpeas in water overnight (or at least good few hours) and then cook for 1-2 hours until soft enough to bite, but still a little crunchy inside.

02
When your chickpeas is ready, add all of the ingredients. I use a press for garlic to perfectly blend it the flavour and chop onion in small cubes.

03
After thoroughly mixing all ingredients, blend them with a hand blender until the chickpeas is broken down in small pieces. You might want to do it in few parts, because it is thick and tends to clog the blender a little. Keep blending patiently without adding any moisture. It is not the quickest task, but you need the mix very thick and sticky, otherwise your falafels will fall apart when you try to fry them.

04
When your mix is ready, it is time for shaping. If you can get your hands on a falafel press, they are fast and super easy to use. The best part of having one is that your falafels will start looking exactly the same from the very first time. Otherwise, you can shape your falafels between two tablespoons or in hands. The simplest way to form them in your hands is to roll a small ball and flatten it slightly. You can also make a little hole with your thumb. Try your best to make them all the same size and shape. This way they will fry evenly and look much nicer on a plate.

05
Falafel needs to be deep-fried, so if you have a deep-frier, use it! If not, just use a wok, an ordinary pan or a pot with non-stick surface. You just need enough oil to cover your falafels at least half of the height and then flip them. If the oil covers them fully, of course there is no need to flip. It is just easier to fry this way.

06
They do not take that long to fry, only a few minutes. They need to be deep golden, but not too dark, so they do not get too dry inside. Let them cool down a little a they are ready!

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Enjoy!