Ta'amiya from the Tomb Raider Cookbook

Ta'amiya, better known as falafel, are fritters of ground up fava beans (more commonly chickpeas), garlic, herbs and spices that are ground up, formed into balls and deep fried. This next recipe from the Tomb Raider Cookbook was inspired by Lara Croft's multiple travels to Egypt over the course of the franchise.

As discussed in my Kofta Kebab post, Lara visits Egypt in Tomb Raider (and its many remakes), The Last Revelation and The Temple of Osiris.

Making the recipe for Ta'amiya is very simple, though it requires some work in advance. Namely, you need dried fava beans, and you must soak them in water for 24 hours maximum, 6 minimum. I put them into a bowl to soak in the afternoon the day before I made these, and then they were ready to be rinsed, drained and pulverized with the other ingredients. When making Ta'amiya, or falafel of any kind, you need dried beans. Canned chickpeas are cooked, and therefore if you use them your falafel comes out much denser and not as light.

The recipe doesn't tell you to, but I ground the fava bean mixture hours before I made the dish since I was going to be busy. Although it suggests mincing your garlic (2-4 cloves), I grated it because then it would blend even better. I chopped a bit more parsley than I needed, and put the excess into some pasta I was reheating for my lunch to ensure it wasn't wasted.

When it comes to forming fritters, I either use an ice cream scoop or try to wing it, not always succeeding. This recipe is meant to make 16 Ta'amiya. My first few ended up being too big, and I split them in half, then reformed them until I had 16. I don't know if the extra hydration time in the fridge made a difference, though it certainly didn't hurt the end result.

The first few I fried got a little too dark on the underside. Perhaps my heat was too high or I left them for too long. Either way, I course corrected when I cooked the rest, turning them around as needed to ensure most of the sides got a crispy brown. The exterior came out very crunchy, and the interior was soft, still moist, very flavorful and almost smoky.

I got toum (garlic sauce) to serve them with, and I made a Greek-inspired salad with lettuce, a shallot, half a tomato in the fridge, a cucumber, feta and a decent store bought bottle of Greek salad dressing.

The Ta'amiya came out deliciously! Crispy, soft, and absolutely wonderful. Much better than any falafel you could buy from the store. It may not beat the quality you'd get in the chaotic bazaars of Cairo (not that I've ever been), but for those who can't travel, it's a good close second.

If you want to make this recipe for Ta'amiya yourself, you can find it in Tomb Raider: The Official Cookbook and Travel Guide.