Falafel is a vegetarian Middle_Eastern snack that has become popular street-food around the world; served in a pitta bread and topped with salad and tahini or chilli sauce. It also makes a great snack or appetizer at the dinner table. It's said to have originated in Egypt and is made primarily of chick peas or fava bean deep fried.

In the so called Food-War between Israel and Lebanon, Beiruti restaurants recently teamed up to make the largest falafel mix (over 5,000 kg of it) according to the Guiness Book of Records. Over in New York an Israeli chef responded by making a 3ft, 11kg, falafel ball. Imagine the size of the pitta bread! Anyway, make food, not war. Here's a common recipe:

Ingredients (for 12 balls)

• 1 cup of chick peas (can canned or dried)
• 1 medium onion (finely chopped or grated)
• 2 tbsp flour or baking powder
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 2 tbsp fresh coriander (cilantro, finely chopped)
• 2 tbsp fresh parsley (finely chopped)
• 1 tsp cumin seeds (ground)
• 1 tsp chilli powder or cayenne pepper
• 1/4 cup of olive oil
• Salt and Pepper
• Enough olive or soya oil to form 2 or 3  inches in your frying pan

Preparation

If using dried chick peas you'll need to soak overnight and then boil them for an hour before using them.

Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl really well until you form a mash. Form small balls or patties and add them to very hot oil about 4 at a time. The oil has to cover the balls and be hot enough otherwise the balls will fall apart. Remove and drain on kitchen paper.

Ingredients for a cucumber and mint dip

• 1/2 cup Greek yoghurt
• 1/2 cup chopped or grated cucumber
• 2 tbsp fresh mint leaves (finely chopped)
• 1 cloves of garlic (finely chopped, optional)