Makali: Deep-fried vegetables for your mezze
Translated from Arabic, makali simply means “fried food“. This usually refers to mixed fried vegetables. I’ve already mentioned a few times that people in Levante are totally crazy about fries, right? But deep-fried potatoes are not enough. That’s why makali is part of a well-laid mezze. That is Levantine tradition.
And if you’re out and about, you can order a makali wrap or makali sandwich at any good Lebanese restaurant or snack bar – it’s Lebanese fast food and it’s vegan. So you can serve it to all your friends.
Which vegetables do you use for makali?
In the Levant, people love vegetables and fried vegetables of all kinds. And you can decide exactly what you want to fry according to your mood. Here are a few classic examples:
- Blumenkohl
- Potatoes
- Eggplants
- Onions
- Zucchini
These are my top 5 that I use for my makali sandwich and that everyone likes.
How do you prepare makali?
The preparation of this dish is really very simple. All you need is a deep fryer or a large pan in which you can fry.
- Wash the vegetables, pat them really dry (otherwise they will splatter too much as soon as you put them in the hot fat) and cut them into pieces.
- Heat the deep fryer or pan with oil and deep-fry the vegetables until golden brown.
What do you eat with makali?
Makali is served as part of a mezze. This means that several snacks such as falafel, hummus or matbucha are placed on the table and you simply eat your way through the whole program to your heart’s content. Personally, I absolutely love rolling the fried vegetables in a piece of flatbread with a little salt, mint and tahini sauce and then enjoying them as a wrap or smaller snack.
I recommend Makali:
- Flatbread
- Olives
- Mint
- Flat-leaf parsley
- Tahini sauce
- Lemon
- Falafel
- Labneh (or the vegan version)
Mezze – feast to your heart’s content
I love mezze and I love makali. It is simply wonderful to sit and feast with friends in a convivial atmosphere. And that is also part of the culture in the Levant. Hardly anyone is alone anywhere, but rather in company. Here a falafel with eggplant, there the flatbread with some cauliflower dipped in cream cheese, in between a sweet fried onion with some mint and a pinch of salt. Of course, deep-frying doesn’t necessarily turn the vegetables into diet food, but it does give them a delicious roasted aroma and taste.
I just can’t get enough of Makali. Not least because of this, friends compared me to the seagulls from Finding Nemo and affectionately gave me the name “Lebanese Gull“…
Well – as you can see, there are many possible combinations. What are you waiting for? Try them out and have fun!
Recipe for Makali
Ingredients
- 1 L Rapeseed or sunflower oil
- 1 Cauliflower
- 3 Potatoes
- 1 Zucchini
- 1 Eggplant
- Salt
Zubereitung
- Wash the cauliflower and separate individual florets.
- Peel the potatoes and cut into thin slices.
- Cut off the stalk of the courgettes. Cut the courgettes lengthwise into slices.
- Cut off the stalk of the aubergine and slice the aubergine. Then lightly salt the cut surfaces of the aubergine and leave for about 5 minutes. The aubergine will let out a little water. Then dab off this water with kitchen paper.
- Heat the oil in a pan or deep frying pan to approx. 170 °C and deep-fry the vegetables for approx. 5 minutes, turning each time. Then drain the vegetables on kitchen paper and salt lightly.
- Serve Makali with pita bread, tahini sauce, fresh mint, parsley, olives, etc.
Notes
Nährwerte
Do you need a few more ideas for your next mezze? Then why not try olive tapenade, fava or cig köfte?
