Keep Smiling you are on youtube :) - Falafel in Pitta bread !

Few months back it was my birthday and I received a card from my daughter's friend...she wrote a few lines in there....

"To Aunty
Happy Birthday to you ! I hope you had an amazing Birthday ! Age is only a number so don't worry because to me you are always the same....My very kindly, always Happy and caring Aunty :)....Thanks for always making sure that Hayley has a smile on her face ! I'm sure she makes you smile too..It's your birthday so I hope this card makes you put on a bigger smile..You're beautiful just like Hayley and hopefully one day we can meet again and have a good chat...Once again HAPPY BIRTHDAY...and Keep Smiling :)) !
Love
Nilaxshana "

I was overwhelmed by her words..brought Happy tears to my eyes and of course a very BIG smile too...Many times we underestimate children, and don't take their views or opinion very seriously...But I have to say we adult sometimes are making a huge mistake by not taking their views or opinion seriously...most of the time we think children don't notice or understand so many things...we are wrong ! just like children, we adults are always learning ...and many things we learn from children...For me it was a happy moment that my daughter's friend praised me for bringing up her friend (my daughter ) in such a happy and caring environment...I was impressed that other children notice these important little things....and how children are influenced by their parents...We as parents sometimes ignore these things because of our hectic life, but millions would notice...good and bad behaviour is observed by others...

In a way Nilaxshana's beautiful and kind few lines were words of wisdom for me....Reminded me again how important it is as a parental duty to make sure each time your child leaves the house he/she goes with a smile and also stay in great manner....Here I would like to add about my impressions about Nilaxshana...that it just goes to show about her upbringing...She must be making her parents proud and smile....I am glad she is Hayley's one of the best friends...and MINE ;)

And two weeks ago my daughter celebrated her birthday with her few closed friends...I made few stuff for them and one of them was Falafel...we had falafel in pitta sandwich....Falafel are my daughter's one of the favourite snack, I make for her on special occasions for her...being a spicy eater I used green chillies here...

Falafel ( /fəˈlɑːfəl/; Arabic: فلافل‎, i /falāfil/) is a ball or patty made from ground chickpeas and/or fava beans. Falafel is usually served in a pita, which acts as a pocket, or wrapped in a flatbread known as lafa. The falafel balls are topped with salads, pickled vegetables and hot sauce, and drizzled with tahini-based sauces. Falafel balls may also be eaten alone as a snack or served as part of a meze.


Generally accepted to have first been made in Egypt, where the dish is widely known as طعمية (ta'amiya) in the Cairo dialect, falafel has become a dish eaten throughout the Middle East. The Copts of Egypt claim to have first made the dish as a replacement for meat during Lent. The hearty fritters are now found around the world as a replacement for meat and as a form of street food.(wikipedia)

YOU WILL NEED:- Falafel

• 3 cup dried chickpea ( soaked overnight)
• 3-4 cloves garlic
• 1 big onion chopped
• 1/4 cup parsley and coriander leaves
• 2 medium potatoes boiled and peeled
• 2 tbsp plain flour ( I used chapatti flour )
• salt to taste
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 3-4 green chillies
• 1/2 tsp dried chilli flakes or chilli powder
• 1 tsp dried cumin and coriander powder
• oil for frying

Method:-
Drain, rinsed and dry soaked chickpeas.  Place chickpeas in food processor with all the ingredients except oil. grind them to a coarse paste. Mix well and form the mixture into balls, slightly flatten, place on a tray, cover and refrigerate for about half an hour. Deep fry them on a medium to low heat until golden brown. It will take about 7-8 minutes. Fry falafel in batches. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain them on a kitchen towel to remove access oil. Falafel are ready to serve on it's own or you can be used in sandwich.

To make pitta sandwich you'll need

• Pitta Bread ( I used wholemeal pitta bread)
• sliced red onions ,diced tomatoes, jalapenos,Olives,
• fresh ice burg lettuce
• sweet chilli sauce
• Hummus ( I used caramelized onion hummus)
• falafel

 Heat pita bread on grill or flat pan, cut the pitta to make a pocket, stuff it with falafel, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, tomatoes, jalapenos,olives hummus, sauce and enjoy the delicious sandwich as much as my daughter and her friends did....

hey guys if you remember I recorded two cookery TV shows here in London, they were aired in December and now available on You tube to watch..here is the link, altogether there are 4 clips to watch...please watch and give me your feedback...thanks !

1 Corn on the cob curry



2  Sukhdi


3 Mango Panna Cotta