Yesterday, whilst wandering aimlessly around Planet organic, I came across the perfect starter or lunch box; four generous servings of falafel and two delicious dips. Everything that Hoxton Beach sells is 100% vegan and about 80% Lebanese, with a few recipes that have strayed in from as far away as Morocco and India. They specialise in falafel but make pickles, tabbouleh and hummus. You can find their products at several organic food shops and street markets.
Their staple falafel is made with a half and half mixture of organic Turkish chickpeas and skinned fava beans. They also make hummus using large white Mexican chickpeas, Lebanese tahini (sesame pulp) and concentrated lemon juice, blended with ice cubes, to stop the process of grinding the chickpeas (which generates a lot of heat) spoiling the freshness of the flavours.
They are the only falafel business in Britain that makes the pickles that traditionally go with falafel. The pink pickle is turnips pickled in water, salt and organic Norfolk cider vinegar. They also make Amba, which Iraqis eat with falafel. Amba means mango and is an Indian green mango pickle, which was imported by the Iraqi Jewish community.
Their tabbouleh is made with a large amount of parsley and only a tiny amount of burghul (cracked wheat). This is the right way round – tabbouleh should never be anything like a couscous salad.
Go to your nearest health store or street market and try some delicious Lebanese food.
