MIDDLE EASTERN DELIGHT

Hello readers , its the weekend again , its that time of the week for all of us fellow foodies and home cooks that we get some time off from the mundane week's buzz and can relax by prepping up a nice meal for self and loved ones , although this one here is quite complex as there are a lot of components to plating up this dish ,  if you're not in a mood to spending a lot of time in the kitchen you can choose and pick what you want to prepare , so the dish here is pita pockets or pita bread with falafel , 2 dips that is hummus and labaneh ( greek yogurt), and a middle eastern salad tabbouleh , there are multiple variations to this dish , you may just want to do pita and hummus, tabbouleh tastes fantastic and is a very healthy option for all us diet conscious and health freaks and can be enjoyed without any mains, falafel with labaneh is also another variation and definitely all of them together is a "DELIGHT" as the title says it, so you can follow the simple steps for each of these components and sate your appetite this weekend with flavourful middle eastern food. 

INGREDIENTS AND METHOD :

1. PITA POCKETS / PITA BREAD 

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 2 cups all purpose flour (maida)
• 2.5 Tsp active dry yeast 
• 1 tsp honey/ sugar
• 1/2 cup warm water , 105-115 degrees Fahrenheit is the ideal temperature for the yeast to mature + 3/4 th cups of warm water to knead the dough 
• 1/2 cup olive oil 
• Salt , as per your liking 

METHOD:

• First we need to proof the yeast , for that mix, in a large mixing bowl the yeast , honey and warm water and stir in the yeast until partially dissolved , cover this with cling film and allow it to froth , its preferable to keep this mixture in a warm place , it was sunny outside so i kept it in the sun for about 7-10 minutes , every yeast has its proofing time so its advisable to read the instruction on the packet you're using .
• Mix the flours together.
• Once the yeast is frothy , add in 1/2 cup of the flour mixture to it and stir it until mixed well , cover this mixture again and leave it for about 30 minutes or until doubled .
• Add in the remaining flour , olive oil and water to this mixture and knead the dough for about 3-4 minutes , place in a lightly oiled bowl , cover it with cling film and keep aside for 45 minutes to an hour or until doubled.
• Once the dough is doubled , punch it to release the air and form 6-8 small balls.
• Roll the dough flat , keep the discs thick about quarter inch to get the best desired consistency , although i rolled them thin as i like them that way .
• There are 2 ways to cook the pita pocket , you could do it on a pan , i used this method its easy , heat a heavy bottomed skillet it should be a non stick one , toss in the rolled pita and cook for  2 minutes on each side or until it puffs up completely , the other way is to cook it in the oven , preheat the oven at 250 degrees Fahrenheit and toss in the rolled pita on a lightly oiled baking tray and bake for about 2 minutes on each side again . VOILA , and your pita is ready .

2. FALAFEL 

• 3 cups soaked chickpeas
• 1 red onion sliced
• 6-7 cloves of garlic 
• 2 Tbsp cilantro
• 2 Tbsp parsley , use fresh preferably , if not available the you may use the dried leaves as a subtitute
• 1 Tbsp crushed dry red chilli , you may use chilli flakes as a substitute 
• Salt , as per your liking.
• 1 tsp baking powder 
• 4 tbsp all purpose flour 
• Oil for deep frying 

METHOD:

• This is super easy , all that needs to be done is put all the ingredients in the food processor and churn it fine , its better to pulse the mixture as you don't want to be extra fine , the mixture once churned should be coarse and grainy. Keep the mixture refrigerated for about 30 minutes before deep frying
• Heat oil in a pan , make small balls of this mixture and deep fry them on low heat until golden brown and drain the excess oil on an absorbent paper.

3.HUMMUS

• 1.5 cups cooked chickpeas , you may use canned chickpeas 
• 8 cloves of garlic 
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 Tbsp  Tahini 
• 5-6 Tbsp water 
• salt , as per your liking 

METHOD:

• To  cook the chick peas you may put 1.5 cups of soaked chickpeas in a pressure cooker with water just enough to cover the chickpeas and cook it until 5 whistles , or you may used the canned chick peas .
• Add in all the ingredients with water  , and churn well until a thick paste is formed . 
• Serve the hummus with olive oil in the centre , create a crater in the hummus with a spoon and fill it in with olive oil.

4. LABANEH

• 1 Cup hung yogurt 
• 1 Tsp garlic paste 
• 1 Tbsp tahini 
• 1 Tbsp olive oil 
• 1/2 Tsp Vinegar 
• salt , as you like it 

METHOD :

• Mix all the ingredients together and whisk until combined well , this barely takes 2 minutes !!!!!

5. TABBOULEH

• 1/4 cup bulgar wheat (dalia) or you can also use couscous
• 1/2 cup boiling water 
• 1/2 tsp olive oil 
• 1 tomato very finely chopped
• 1 onion very fine chopped 
• 1/3 cup mint leaves finely chopped 
• 1/3 cup cilantro finely chopped
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice
• salt , as you like it

METHOD:

• Toast the bulgar wheat in a pan , for about 2 minutes and add in 1/2 cup of boiling water to the wheat , remove from flame and allow the wheat to absorb the water.
• Add all the ingredients together and toss well , add the olive oil and lemon juice , and your tabbouleh is yummy and ready in a course of 2 minutes !!!!