The typical “toppings” used in most falafel recipes are cucumbers, tomatoes, sweet red peppers, and onions. These toppings are similar to the everyday ‘Israeli Salad,’ the traditional topping for a Falafel (sandwich) in Israel. The Israeli way of dicing everything fine and very neatly is called dak-dek, for very fine or Katan-katan for very small. Below, you’ll find an easy recipe for an Israeli salad to go with your falafel. It can be served stuffed into pita pockets or alongside falafel.
There is nothing particularly Israeli about the salad, as it is a typical Middle Eastern type salad and is, in fact, sometimes called an Arab Salad. However, in Israel, you just don’t have a meal without a salad of some kind, and this is the typical one. So that is why it’s called an Israeli Salad: it is ubiquitous to Israel.
When the salad is served with falafel, as I pointed out here, although most American restaurants serve up huge chunks of the falafel, Israelis would never eat it this way. They prefer to chop the fritters up into small cubes and mix them into a salad, which I think you will find is far preferable since the flavors blend together much better. I think you’ll find this preferable, as well, since it allows the flavors to meld and blend, making for a more harmonious dish.
Israeli Salad Recipe
Ingredients
2 med cucumbers
2 med tomatoes
1/2 sweet bell pepper
1/2 red onion
cilantro, parsley, or both to taste
lettuce like bib or romaine (optional)
1 or 2 lemons, for juice
olive oil
salt
Instructions
If the cucumber skins are waxed, or if you prefer, peel them. Split the cucumbers down the middle. If they have lots of seeds, scrape them out with a small spoon. Chop all the vegetables into small, uniform chunks. Dice the cilantro or parsley. You can also add a bit of mint, if you like.
Mix the vegetable dice together in a bowl and squeeze on some fresh lemon juice and a bit of extra virgin olive oil. Toss together and add salt to taste. Use this to put inside your falafel sandwiches, along with a tablespoon of tahini sauce, or serve it all separately on a plate. If you want some heat, add a hot green pepper to the mix. I’d recommend seeding it.
You can easily scale the recipe up, but it’s easier to do it by twos. So to make twice as much, use 4 each of cucumbers and tomatoes and 1 each onion and bell pepper.
