Ta'ameya (Egyptian Broad Bean Falafel)

Method

Ta'ameya is the Egyptian falafel, and it is made from broad beans rather than chickpeas — greener, softer inside, and quite different from the Levantine version. It begins the night before. Put the dried split broad beans in a large bowl, cover generously with cold water, and leave them to soak for at least twelve hours; they swell to more than double their size. Do not cook them. Everything that follows depends on the beans being raw and soaked, so that the mixture holds together and cooks through in the fryer.

Drain the beans thoroughly and pat them dry — excess water is the enemy of a firm mixture. Tip them into a food processor with the roughly chopped onion, garlic, coriander, parsley, spring onions, cumin, and ground coriander. Blitz to a coarse, damp paste, stopping to scrape down the sides, until it holds together when pressed but still has a little texture. Season with the salt. Cover and chill the mixture for at least half an hour; resting firms it and makes shaping easier.

Just before frying, stir the bicarbonate of soda through the mixture — it lightens the egyptian-cuisine|fritters and gives them their tender, almost fluffy centre. Add it too early and the effect is lost. Shape the paste into small flat patties, pressing one side gently into the sesame seeds so they crust and toast in the oil. Work quickly and keep the shaped patties on a tray.

Heat the oil to about 170°C — hot enough that a scrap of the mixture sizzles steadily and rises, not so hot that the outside burns before the middle sets. Fry the patties in small batches, turning once, for three to four minutes until deep golden and crisp, the sesame seeds toasted. Crowding the pan drops the temperature and gives greasy, pale results. Drain on kitchen paper and eat hot, with tahini sauce, tomato, and flatbread. Ta'ameya is street breakfast in Cairo, but it makes a fine starter, and the contrast of the crisp shell against the soft green interior is the whole point of the dish.