The Ultimate Falafel Bowl - Monjay Mezza

The Ultimate Falafel Bowl

FEATURING MONJAY MEZZA’S FALAFEL

Not much needs to be done to enjoy our products, Break open a packet of your favourite crackers or cut a carrot into batons and dip away. Or simply arrange our delicious finger foods on a platter and watch them crowd around. But the potential of our range is so much more, and we want to prove it. So we've created our very own recipe page to show you the versatility of our products. Dips to marinate or bake with, finger food transformed into main meals - the limit is your imagination.

We would never encourage anyone to remove meat from their diet, but without the Christian Copts of Egypt doing just that thousands of years ago, we wouldn’t have the humble yet sensational falafel. With these little mushed patties of legumes as a centrepiece, you can make the most mouth-watering and satisfying vegetarian dishes.

In Jerusalem, they’re commonly served on a bed of hummus with a scattering of pickles and a drizzle of chilli sauce, or, as introduced by the Yemeni Jews in the 1950s, in pockets of pita bread. We’ve elected to further demonstrate their versatility with the ultimate falafel bowl, in which they sit alongside another famous and divisive dish – tabbouleh.

When it comes to tabbouleh, there’s really only one rule to remember – it’s a parsley salad, not a bulgar salad. Parsley is the diva to which the other ingredients provide harmonious back-up singing. So don’t skimp on the parsley, and don’t overload with bulgar.

There’s not a time of day when a falafel bowl isn’t appropriate fodder. Dinner is a no-brainer, even breakfast – when it’s often served in Jerusalem. But it really comes to the fore as a work lunch; it can be eaten cold, nothing included will go limp, and you can even Marie Kondo it and take all the components in separate containers then throw it all together at your desk.

 

Ingredients

  • 80g fine bulgar wheat
  • 4 ripe tomatoes
  • 2 medium shallots (or a small red onion)
  • Monjay’s Falafel
  • Monjay’s Hummos Dip
  • 150g flat leaf parsley
  • 20g fresh mint
  • ½ tsp ground allspice
  • 3 tbsp lemon juice
  • 100ml good olive oil
  • Kalamata or green olives, pitted

 

Method

For the tabbouleh, place the bulgar in a fine sieve and wash under the cold tap until the water runs clear. Transfer to a serving bowl (that’s right – we’re not cooking it; fine bulgar is so fine it needn’t be cooked).

Chop the tomatoes into a small dice and add to the bulgar, along with the shallots or onions that you’ve finely diced.

Chop the stalks and the leaves of the parsley as finely as you can. Go over them several times with a sharp knife – we’re looking for pieces around a millimetre thick. Can’t I just use the food processor? I hear you ask. If no one is looking, go for it. But food processors tend to bruise and mush more than chop, so that you’re likely to end up with clumps of destroyed parsley rather than the dry, crunchy texture that a knife can achieve.

Stack the mint leaves and roll like a Cuban, then chop as finely as the parsley. Add the herbs to the bowl, then stir in the allspice, lemon juice and olive oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

To prepare Monjay’s falafels, simply heat in a moderate oven until hot. Divide the falafels among bowls – four or five per person – with generous mounds of tabbouleh alongside. Fill any remaining space with our famous hummos and top with the olives.

Optional – and recommended – accoutrements include a drizzle of chilli sauce, dollops of Monjay’s Tahini Dip, and extra lemon wedges. Needless to say, our famous garlic dip wouldn’t go astray here either.

Monjay Mezza is the home of traditional Middle Eastern Dips, Finger Food and Desserts.

Featured Product

Falafel

Our delicious frozen falafels can be cooked at home in fresh oil for 5 minutes until a rich golden brown.

Learn more about our Falafel View our full Finger Food range