Treasures of the Orient – Hummus | Falafel | Tabbouleh | eggplant

Ingredients for 5 servings:

• 250 g chickpeas, dried
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 125 ml chickpea water, cold
• 50 ml olive oil
• 4 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 garlic cloves
• 50 g tahini
• Cumin powder
• 1 tbsp natural yogurt, 3.5% fat
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp chili powder or paprika powder, hot
• 2 cup(s) chickpeas, dried
• 1 onion(s)
• 10 g coriander
• 10 g parsley
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cumin
• Spice mix (Falafel Spices)
• ½ tsp black pepper
• 0.33 tsp baking powder
• some water
• frying oil
• 200 g bulgur
• 300 ml vegetable stock
• 3 tbsp pine nuts
• 3 large tomatoes
• 100 g cherry tomatoes
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 3 rosemary sprigs
• 3 sprigs of thyme
• 1 lemon(s), juice
• 1 bunch parsley, flat
• 1 bunch mint (Nana mint)
• 2 garlic cloves
• 5 tbsp olive oil
• salt and pepper
• Sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp pepper
• 2 eggplant(s)
• 2 tbsp salt
• 1 pinch(s) of sugar
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 4 shallots
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• ½ tsp thyme, dried
• ¼ tsp sweet paprika powder
• 1 tsp Ras el Hanout
• 200 g tomatoes, pureed

Instructions

Working time approx. 1 hour 15 minutes; Rest period approx. 1 day; Cooking/baking time approx. 2 hours 35 minutes; Total time approx. 1 day 3 hours 50 minutes

from the show “The Perfect Dinner” on VOX from 24.03.2025

For the hummus, soak the chickpeas in salted water with 1 teaspoon of baking powder the day before, then cook for about 45 minutes the next day. Strain and reserve the liquid, then refrigerate. Place the chickpeas in a blender with tahini, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, cumin, chili powder, and cooled chickpea water and blend until smooth. If the consistency is too thick, add more chickpea water until creamy. Season with lemon juice, salt, and pepper, transfer to a bowl, drizzle with olive oil, and garnish with parsley. For the falafel, soak the chickpeas in plenty of water the day before. Drain the water the next day. Wash the cilantro and parsley, drain well, and roughly chop. Peel and dice the garlic and onion. Then, using an immersion blender, finely puree the chickpeas with the cilantro, parsley, garlic, and onion. Mix well with salt, black pepper, cumin, and baking powder and season with falafel spices. Heat the oil in a wok. Shape the mixture into balls, preferably with slightly damp hands, and fry until golden brown all over. Drain on kitchen paper before serving. Tip: If the mixture is too soft, add flour or chickpea flour. For the tabbouleh, blanch and peel the tomatoes, then quarter and deseed them, remove the stems, and place them on a baking sheet with the top facing up. Add the rosemary, thyme, garlic, and olive oil and season with salt, pepper, and a little sugar. Preheat the oven to 100 degrees Celsius (212 degrees Fahrenheit). Dry the tomatoes on the baking sheet in the oven for one hour. Pour very hot vegetable stock over the bulgur, cover, and let stand for about 10 minutes. Lightly toast the pine nuts in a pan without any fat. Finely chop the sun-dried tomatoes. When the bulgur is cooked, add the tomatoes, pine nuts, and olive oil. Finely chop the parsley and mint, and squeeze the lemon. Season the tabbouleh with the herbs, salt, pepper, and lemon juice. Wash the eggplants, pat dry, and remove the stems and blossom ends. Remove some of the skin with a vegetable peeler. Cut the eggplants into eighths, season with salt, and drain on kitchen paper. Pat dry after about 30 minutes. Heat the olive oil in a pan and fry the eggplants until hot. Peel and finely chop the shallots and garlic. Remove the eggplants from the pan, reduce the heat, and toss the shallots in the oil (not too hot). Add the garlic to the pan and sweat. Season with ras el hanout, thyme, paprika, sugar, and salt, then add the tomatoes and simmer. Return the eggplants to the pan and simmer at low heat for about 25 minutes. Bissi prepared this recipe as an appetizer on Monday, March 24, 2025, in the show “The Perfect Dinner” – Day 1 of the AIDA special “On the High Seas II.”