I love Lebanese food. Mezze food platters are my all-time go-to dish for when friends come over and there is heaps of food that I want to serve. I love the contrast of the fried falafels with the bland pita bread, tangy and creamy hummus and the super fresh tzatziki dip.
Here’s what I made for when my friends came over for the weekend and they loved this fresh and eye-popping spread. Since I didn’t have a lot of time on my hands, I bought the pita from the supermarket next door, so not everything was made from a scratch.
PREPARATION TIME: 30 minutes
COOKING TIME: 40 minutes
SERVINGS: 10
DIFFICULTY SCALE: Medium
INGREDIENTS:
For the falafels-
- Boiled chickpea – 2 cups
- Roasted Cumin Powder – 2 teaspoons
- Red paprika powder – 1 teaspoons
- Coriander Leaves – 1 cup
- Garlic cloves – 4, finely chopped
- Breadcrumbs – ½ cup
- Chickpea powder – 3 tablespoons
- Salt – to taste
For the Beetroot Hummus-
- Boiled chickpea – 1 cup
- Beetroot – 1 small
- Roasted Cumin Powder – 1 teaspoon
- Red paprika powder – ½ teaspoon
- Coriander stalks – ½ cup
- Lemon zest – 1, lemon
- Lemon juice – 1 tablespoon
- Garlic – 2 pods
- Olive oil – 1 tablespoon
- Salt – to taste
For the Peas Hummus-
- Boiled chickpea – ½ cup
- Peas – ½ cup
- Roasted Cumin Powder – 1 teaspoon
- Red paprika powder – ½ teaspoon
- Coriander stalks – ½ cup
- Lemon zest – 1, lemon
- Lemon juice – 1 tablespoon
- Garlic – 2 pods
- Olive oil – 1 tablespoon
- Salt – to taste
For the Tzatziki dip –
- Hung curd – ½ cup
- Cucumber – ½
- Roasted cumin – 1 teaspoon
- Dill leaves – 2 tablespoons
- Red paprika powder – ½ teaspoon
- Salt – to taste
RECIPE:
Falafels –
- Drain water from the boiled chickpeas and mash them properly.
- Finely chop garlic and coriander and mix well.
- Add chickpea flour and bread crumbs followed by paprika, cumin powder and salt.
- Mix well and frame into small cutlets and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Fry in hot oil until crisp brown on both sides and serve hot.
Beetroot Hummus –
- For the beetroot hummus, peel and cut a small beetroot into round vertical slices.
- Add oil in a pan and add the beetroot slices and cook them until they leave their colour and start crisping up slightly.
- Remove from heat and add to a grinder.
- Mash the chickpeas.
- Add ½ cup chickpeas to the grinder along with the zest of a lemon and coriander stalks.
- Add salt, ½ teaspoon paprika, cumin powder, 1 tablespoon lemon juice and olive oil and grind until they blend well into a creamy and smooth hummus.
Pea Hummus –
- Take half a cup of peas and add them to boiling water for 2 minutes.
- Remove peas from boiling water and add to cold water to preserve their color.
- Then add them to a grinder along with mashed chickpeas, zest of a lemon and coriander stalks.
- Add salt, ½ teaspoon paprika, cumin powder, 1 tablespoon lemon juice and olive oil and grind until they blend well into a creamy and smooth hummus.
Tzatziki Dip –
- Grate a cucumber and add it to the hung Greek yoghurt.
- Add finely chopped dill leaves, cumin powder, salt and red paprika powder and mix well.
Place the pita bread, the falafels and the Tzatziki dish on a platter and garnish with some pomegranate seeds. Add the beetroot and pea hummus to small bowls and drizzle some olive oil and serve.
mistimaan
Looks too tasty 🙂
Nisha Sharma
Thanks so much🙏
mistimaan
Welcome…..You are Indian right?
Nisha Sharma
Yes☺️
mistimaan
You are from which city in India?
Nisha Sharma
Delhi
mistimaan
Ok….Me from Kolkata
Nisha Sharma
I guessed that from your name😀
Megala
Wonderful platter ! Nice to use cooked chickpeas for all these hummus !!
Nisha Sharma
Thank you so much🙏 It’s so yummy and healthy at the same time ☺️
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