Greetings steemit. Travel and friends all over the world definitely inspire my dishes on a daily basis. Today I bring you a fusion dish inspired by the middle eastern and African cuisine. Though this time you will not find chickpeas in my falafels, I used millet instead and they came out great.

Next, to my variation on the middle eastern classic, falafel, I prepared Tikil Gomen. An easy-to-make Ethiopian side dish that has quickly become a regular at our home. It is a typical dish that is normally served alongside other dishes on injera (aka flatbread).

There are many Tikil Gomen variations. It can be prepared with just the cabbage, carrots and potatoes, or you can turn it into a one-pot dinner by adding a protein like chickpeas or other protein sources you like.

Oh and if you never heard of millet before, millet is an ancient seed, originally hailing from Africa Korea, and China. These days it is becoming more popular in Western cuisine. It is yummy, nutritious and gluten-free.

Ready for some fusion cooking! I hope you are because we just devoured this lovely dish.

MILLET FALAFELS WITH TIKIL GOMEN (ETHIOPIAN CABBAGE)

INGREDIENTS (serves 2-3)

For the millet falafel

1/4 cup uncooked millet
1/2 onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 small zucchini, chopped
1/3 cup bell pepper, chopped
3-4 cloves of garlic
1/2 cup oldfashioned rolled oats
Safran, turmeric powder, dried oregano, onion powder, rock salt, and black pepper to taste
Sesame seeds (optional)

FYI: The recipe made too much millet falafels but they are super yum in a lunch salad too. No need to heat. Or why no freeze uncooked patties for later?

For the tikil gomen or Ethiopian cabbage

2-3 cups white cabbage, grated
1 cup carrots, thinly sliced
1 big potato, chopped
Turmeric powder, rock salt, and black pepper
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1-2 cloves of garlic, minced
Water as needed
Freshly chopped chives (optional)

DIRECTIONS

For the millet falafel

Cook the millet with a little saffron and rock salt according to the instructions on the package.
Cook the onion, garlic, carrots, zucchini, and bell pepper until softened. Season with turmeric, oregano, onion powder, rock salt and black pepper to taste. When ready, blend/pulse the millet and veggies a few times in the blender or food processor. Stir in oats and make little patties out of the dough. Coat with sesame seeds (optional)
Preheat oven to 200C or 400F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and cook the patties until lightly browned on both sides.

For the tikil gomen or Ethiopian cabbage

Heat cooking oil in a pot over medium heat. Add onions and cook until translucent. This will take about 5 minutes. Then add garlic and cook for 1 minute more before stirring in carrots, turmeric, salt, and black pepper. Cook and stir until flavors are combined about 7 minutes. Add cabbage and mix well.
Cover the pot and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook until the cabbage is tender but not completely soft, about 20 minutes. Add a little water if vegetables look too dry.
Scoop into a bowl or onto a plate and garnish with fresh chives (optional).