Safari Mezze Platter

The word Mezze is found in several of the cuisines of the former Ottoman Empire,the concept is believed to have originated from the Persian word “Mazzeh” or “Mazzah” which means snack or appetizer. Today, mezze platters are eaten all over the world, not only as a snack, but often as a meal itself.

As we have mentioned before, Tanda Tula loves a shared foodie experience, making the Mezze Platter for two the ideal lunch dish to be enjoyed anywhere in and around camp. Very generously Chef Ryan has shared all the recipes from our delicious mezze platter, but this does not mean you have to make them all, unless you are feeling extra ambitious.

Make what you want and bulk out your own mezze platter with some good quality bought olives and hummus along with some flat breads. This is the joy of a mezze platter, you can cheat your way through it, although we would never dream of it!

Whatever you do, make sure you try every recipe at least once, they are all super simple and before you know it you will find yourself churning out all the items and loving every single one. Enjoy!

Herby Falafels

• Dried chickpeas (soaked overnight and drained), weight when soaked: 225g
• ½ onion, coarsely chopped
• 1 chilli, coarsely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• ¾ cup coriander, chopped
• ½ cup parsley, chopped
• 3 tablespoons chickpea flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cardamom, toasted
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin, toasted

Pulse the chickpeas in a food processor, scraping down sides as needed, until they resemble finely chopped nuts (the texture should be uneven, with some slightly larger pieces visible), about 1 minute. Transfer to a large bowl.

Pulse onion, chilli, garlic, coriander and parsley in the food processor, scraping down sides as needed, until coarsely chopped, about 1 minute.

Mix into chickpeas, then mix in the chickpea flour, salt, baking powder, cardamom, and cumin. Form into balls and place in the fridge to set.

Deep fry the falafel until light brown and crisp, about 5 minutes.

Transfer to paper towels and rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Green tahini sauce

• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 spring onions coarsely chopped
• ¾ cup parsley, coarsely chopped
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin, toasted
• 1 teaspoon ground fennel, toasted
• Salt to taste
• ½ cup tahini
• ½ lemon fresh lemon juice
• 2 Tablespoons ice cold water

Pulse garlic, spring onion, parsley, cumin and salt in a food processor until smooth.

Add ice cold water, lemon juice and tahini and bend well.

Season with salt.

Tzatziki

• ½ t ground cumin, toasted
• sea salt, to taste
• 1 cup double cream yoghurt
• ½ cucumber, grated and excess water strained
• 1 garlic clove, finely grated
• squeeze of lemon juice to taste
• 1 Tablespoon fresh mint, finely chopped

Mix yogurt, garlic, cumin, lemon juice and ¾ tsp salt in a medium bowl and set aside.

Add the cucumber and mint.

Mix well.

Zaatar pita breads

• 4 pita breads
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 2 Tablespoons Zaatar spice
• sea salt and freshly black pepper

Heat olive oil and zaatar spice in a skillet and toast the pita until they are golden brown on both sides.

Pickled turnips

• 1 chilli, halved
• 500g small turnips, trimmed and thinly sliced
• ½ cup red wine vinegar
• 2 Tablespoons salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar

Bring vinegar, salt, sugar, chilli and 1½ cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan, stirring occasionally to dissolve sugar.

Pour pickling liquid over turnips and place in a glass bottle.

Cover and chill at least 1 week before using.

Cherry tomato salsa

Roughly chopped cherry tomatoes and mix with finely chopped red onion, fresh mint, seasoning with a drizzle of olive oil.

Hummus

• 1 tin chickpeas, drained
• 1 clove fresh garlic
• 2 tablespoons tahini
• Salt and pepper to taste

Blend all ingredients in the food processor and season to taste.