falafel and hummus

another fine dish i tasted for the first time when i lived in london was falafel with hummus. when i came back home i tried to get hold of all the ingredients which was quite a challenge. i also had to make everything from scratch. i used to make the tahini myself because in the small town where i used to live back then i just could not get foreign food or foreign ingredients. today even good supermarkets have foreign food sections and the recipes become more affordable :) i usually serve this dish with bread and salad. or i just eat the bits as fingerfood appetizers

falafel
400 g chickpeas
1 piece of white bread
1 onion, finely chopped
4 cloves of garlic
coriander,
parsley
cumin
salt
pepper
50 g bulgur (can be substituted with 3 EL flour)
1 tbsp baking powder
oil for frying

01 put chickpeas and white bread in a food processor and puree untill smooth
02 add herbs and season to taste
03 finally add bulgur or flour and baking powder
04 heat oil, form small balls with a spoon and fry until golden-brown

hummus
50 g chickpeas
¼ clove of garlic
15 g tahini
juice of ½ a lemon
1 tsp olive oil
black olives, finely chopped
salt, pepper
cumin

01 put ingredients in a food processor and puree until smooth

it was funny when i served hummus the first time when i was still living at my parent's house. if you pronounce "hummus" the german way it means something like "mould". so my family really was rather sceptical and they where looking at me in distaste when i proudly announced that i had made "h-u-m-u-s". their reaction was like:

humus?
ieeew!
how icky! do we have to eat soil now?!

i had to explain them that it was a dip of chickpeas, garlic, olives, lemon juice, and a sesame seed paste called "tahini". it is a dish from the middle east and i tasted it in a greek restaurant for the first time. they where delighted and even my father who hardly ever tries new tastes and flavours took a bite and welcomed the dish with an approving grunt:) my sister got hooked immediately and since she is an exceptionally gifted cook (way more willing to experiment than i am!) this was the kickstart to our adventures in cooking foreign dishes.