PITAS FULL OF POCKETS…with FALAFEL, KABOBS OR COTTAGE CHEESE!
Getting into the FALAFEL of things…
Quite a few blogs are buzzing with Middle Eastern food these days & I’m trying hard to catch up. By the time I get to making falafel & pita bread after getting pockets-full of inspiration from Val @ More Than Burnt Toast, she’s already hitting a new trail…’Zataar‘! O Boy… so much to do as usual, & so little time! I must admit I’ve been living under a rock. For some insane reason, each time I heard of falafel I assumed it was a sort of bread. Having had donna kebabs several times in the UK & in Canada, it never crossed my mind that there might be a vegetarian option. I always associated the Middle East with kebabs served on a bed of rice or in pita pockets!!! Can you imagine my surprise when I read at Val’s that it was chickpeas they were talking about! How embarrassing… 
After reading such rave reviews, I set off to try making falafel…albeit skeptically! With recipes galore, tossed a coin between cooked or uncooked chick-peas…uncooked was the call! Very simple & straightforward recipe, must admit I was sure it would fall to pieces in hot oil! Lo & behold…perfect falafel balls! Even better was the taste…crisp from the outside; bursting with flavour within & a great veggie option! YUM…the recipe for falafel came from Epicurious.
Pita bread is another story altogether, associated in my past with beastly yeastly tales. But thanks to the Daring Bakers daring french loaf challenge & the success with Susan @ Food Blogga’s pizza dough, rising with the yeast is now the norm, rather than an exception! No problem at all…sailed through the recipe! Got the recipe from Kamini’s @ Bubbling Cauldron that took me to Jai & Bee’s @ Jugalbandi…NO FAIL pita recipe, with a 70% puff rate as they said! Mine behaved very well for a change…must have been the new electric tandoor my parents gifted us on our anniversary! It’s an interesting little box which goes up to sudden high temperatures & cooks 2-3 pitas at a time in a matter of 4-5 minutes! COOL!!
This is a post longer than I intended it to be….but, the fact is that the entire meal was a collaboration of sorts. Who ever said ‘Too many cooks spoil the broth“? Amazingly, I put this together with too many cooks, & pulled it off! The chicken kebabs were a Lebanese kabob recipe from no other than my sister, our family’s acclaimed Chicken Queen! Simple & finger-licking good! The salad was a simple one with iceberg lettuce, red,yellow & green bell peppers, spring onions with greens, & tomatoes sans seeds…all tossed together in a light olive oil & lime juice dressing.
To recap then:-
FALAFELS…the recipe can be found at Epicurious .
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WHOLE-WHEAT PITA BREAD…recipe at Jugalbandi .
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CORIANDER YOGURT SAUCE…can be found at 28 Cooks.
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TAHINI FROM SCRATCH … head for the Bubbling Cauldron .
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YOGURT SOUR CREAM DIP…right here at my blog.
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LEBANESE CHICKEN KABOBS & COTTAGE CHEESE FILLING RECIPE FOLLOWS…
PITAs WITH FALAFEL…
FILL HER UP…CHICKEN THIS TIME! -
Make a marinade out of grated onions, garlic, lemon juice, salt, pepper, red chili pwdr, paprika and a saffron soaked in hot water.
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Marinate chicken pieces in this for as long as you like (overnight is fine) and then grill them for approx 30 mins; turning once at about 15-20minutes.
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Make sure to put them on a grill tray to drain off excess juices and put something beneath to collect the juices .
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Rest the kebabs for 10 minutes & use as fillers with a base of salad. Top with coriander sauce, yogurt sauce, tahini> sauce &/or a hot harissa> sauce if you like!
& MAKE IT COTTAGE-CHEESE NEXT TIME!!
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Make a marinade with olive oil, grated garlic, juice of 1 lime, red chili flakes, grill seasoning & salt.
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Cut cottage cheese into thin fingers, about 1 1/2 inches long, & toss gently in marinade. Leave for about 30 minutes to whenever you are ready to eat the meal.
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Turn the whole thing into a pan, & saute on high heat till dry. That’s option #3 for you!
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Layer with a salad, followed by cottage cheese & topped with sauces of your choice.
PITAS FULL OF POCKETS…WONDERFUL OPTIONS INDEED!
Deeba @ PAB
About me: I am a freelance food writer, recipe developer and photographer. Food is my passion - baking, cooking, developing recipes, making recipes healthier, using fresh seasonal produce and local products, keeping a check on my carbon footprint and being a responsible foodie! I enjoy food styling, food photography, recipe development and product reviews. I express this through my food photographs which I style and the recipes I blog. My strength lies in 'Doing Food From Scratch'; it must taste as good as it looks, and be healthy too. Baking in India, often my biggest challenge is the non-availability of baking ingredients, and this has now become a platform to get creative on. I enjoy cooking immensely as well.
32 Comments
Asha
Mmm..!! Looks absolutely delicious! I love Falafel. I made it with Fava beans and Tahini. Didn’t bake the Pita though, yet to bake them at home!:)
here is mine;
http://foodieshope.blogspot.com/2007/01/
winter-munchies.html
bee
man, how many delicacies do you whip up in one day? i’m sure you made a cake on the side too. fantastic spread.
Cham
Pita full of pockets – sure will fill the whole day. Looking wonderful….
Happy cook
Wow delicious. I love falafel, when were were in holiday in egypt we had a blast eating them.
Yours looks perfect.
I just wanted to grab them and eat it.
KayKat
Wow! This assortment is mindblowing! I just can’t stop reading this post 🙂
Mmm … I *want* an electric tandoor now!
Rosie
I just don’t know which photo to look at it all looks SO wonderful and tempting – great spread.
Rosie x
Meeta
So where is the cake? LOL! Seriously this is incredible – come and cook for me too Deeba. Looks absolutely lovely!
meeso
What a great post full of yummy looking pictures and some awesome foods! I am hooked on foods such as these and am a huge fan of middle eastern food, but I haven’t found many blogs containing the recipes.
Purnima
Didn’t I say, you are MINDBLOWING!That looks more than perfect ones that we buy from stores here! I did try oven baked falafel from Siri’s blog, it was too good! Pita bread,all sauces,kababs! Wow..here we have Shwarma a different pita filling, falafel is a seperate one! Thks for sharing!!
Fiber
This is a fantastic post! It all sounds very tasty!
Lisa
YUM! gorgeous photos and most importantly, delicious flavorings.
Aparna
That’s quite a spread, Deeba. Admire your energy when it comes to turning out so much lovely food.
Namratha
Fabulous dishes Deeba, everything looks awesome!! 🙂 I love Falafels and Pita, can’t get enough of them 😀
Passionate baker...& beyond
Hi Asha…I love falafel now too.Will chk out your post.
Hey Bee…thanks for the recipe.As the quote goes…“If the people have no bread, let them eat cake.”
Marie Antoinette. Plenty of bread here!!
You know Cham…the dough stays for 2-3 days in the fridge; so its basically covers a couple of meals with variety thrown in too!
Happy Cook…how lucky you were to be in Egypt…am glad I discovered falafel.
Worth having the contraption Kaykat…a little wonder box! :0)
Thanks Rosie…as I always say; it’s thanks to CLICK that I rediscovered my camera!
Cakes are now going to slow down Meeta…summer is approaching & too soon. Will have to keep it light!
Purnima…you live in the midst of all this mind-blowing grub! Lucky you!!
Thanks Fibre…you’ve got a fantastic array of dips, spreads & sauces on your blog. Loved it!!
Sri…when you least expect it, the next cake shall be here!
Thanks for the wonderful comments Lisa.
Aparna…it’s the naan off your blog next time!
Passionate baker...& beyond
Hi Asha…I love falafel now too.Will chk out your post.
Hey Bee…thanks for the recipe.As the quote goes…“If the people have no bread, let them eat cake.”
Marie Antoinette. Plenty of bread here!!
You know Cham…the dough stays for 2-3 days in the fridge; so its basically covers a couple of meals with variety thrown in too!
Happy Cook…how lucky you were to be in Egypt…am glad I discovered falafel.
Worth having the contraption Kaykat…a little wonder box! :0)
Thanks Rosie…as I always say; it’s thanks to CLICK that I rediscovered my camera!
Cakes are now going to slow down Meeta…summer is approaching & too soon. Will have to keep it light!
Purnima…you live in the midst of all this mind-blowing grub! Lucky you!!
Thanks Fibre…you’ve got a fantastic array of dips, spreads & sauces on your blog. Loved it!!
Sri…when you least expect it, the next cake shall be here!
Thanks for the wonderful comments Lisa.
Aparna…it’s the naan off your blog next time!
Kamini
Those Pitas look pretty perfect as do the falafels… Need to go and make some now. Early in the morning and I am already hungry to eat all the goodies on you page. Glad they turned out well.
Bellini Valli
I am so glad you were inspired to make falafels. You put me to shame by making your own pitas:D I had better get cracking:D
Cakelaw
Some fabulous suggestions for filling the humble pita bread – thanks!
Anamika:The Sugarcrafter
I musty say Deeba..with so much energy within you…you rock ! I love Falafels and Pita, and dishes look absulutely delicious.
bird's eye view
Love your blog. I love Pita pockets and had the most amazing ones in Paris – they were filled with falafel and drizzled with a secret sauce that I have only recently unravelled the recipe of ( available on my blog)- and served with Turkish salad ( roast aubergines, fresh onions and green peppers…Even now when i think of it, I can almost taste it.
arundati
fabulous…but then are’nt you tired of this adjective?? looks so colourful and so right for summer…that’s been beating down already!!
Tellmehowyoueat
You’re a divine passionate about baking! I didn’t know you’re blog and now I’m definitly fond of your recipes!! I will try your delicious Pita & Falafel recipe and I will not end my meal without a chocolate almond orange gateau or your mouth-watering strawberry Swiss Roll (marvellous indian presentation)! Thanks!
Passionate baker...& beyond
Thanks Kamini…got the bunch of links bubbling in your cauldron!
Val, you inspire me. Would have never got this far!
Amazing how many ways you can fill these yummy pockets Cakelaw.
Hi Anamika, love them too. Glad I discovered them.
Arundati…I thought the expletives would have been refreshed too! Get cracking girl; no time to lose!! The inbox is flooded! HA HA!
Tellmehowyoueat…thanks for the reaaly nice words! I love the enthusiasm!
Passionate baker...& beyond
Thanks Kamini…got the bunch of links bubbling in your cauldron!
Val, you inspire me. Would have never got this far!
Amazing how many ways you can fill these yummy pockets Cakelaw.
Hi Anamika, love them too. Glad I discovered them.
Arundati…I thought the expletives would have been refreshed too! Get cracking girl; no time to lose!! The inbox is flooded! HA HA!
Tellmehowyoueat…thanks for the reaaly nice words! I love the enthusiasm!
Miri
What a delicious and well thought out spread – I love planning menus like these and if it comes together perfectly as in our minds eye – then its sone pe suhaga! 🙂
Miri
Coffee
Deeba, your pics are awesome!Always! I wonder why you post them in such small sizes?
A good spread once againa dn I must say you have energy of some kind! I wish I had half of what you have. 🙂
bird's eye view
Deeba,
The pictures on your blog are amazing, and you’re really dedicated to go to the extent of baking your own pitas! My secret sauce recipe is here: http://foodandlaughter.blogspot.com/2008/01/secret-is-out.html
familiabencomo
You take the best pictures! I wish you were my neighbor & we could sit in each other’s garden nibbling on what we created while sipping tea.
xoxox Amy
Proud Italian Cook
Your photo’s make me want to indulge in whatever you create in your kitchen. Everything looks so delicious!!
ranji
hey deeba…
ur pita’s and falafel’s looks delicious….u r truly an awesome baker .i have wondered where u get ur ideas and inspiration from…I am a big fan of ur recipes…:)
cheers
ranji
Susan from Food Blogga
Falafel is one of my all-time favorite foods. The problem is my all-time favorite place to eat it is in RI! Mine never tastes as good as theirs. Never. Perhaps I can come over and try yours? 🙂
New York City Car Accident Lawyer
Thanks for baking and sharing your excellent dishes.