A cook scoops pale yellow paste into a shallow brick-colored bowl and then stirs it madly with a mortar, forcing it up against the sides of the bowl in a thick, luxurious coil. Mutabbal is made with grilled, organic eggplant, zesty garlic cloves, and nutty, velvety tahini. All these places are basically doing the right thing. All salads and sides are 100% Vegan. Serve with a Lebanese (or other Mediterranean) chicken (or beef) dish like Recipe #127262. IN terms of texture, the best was clearly the regular hummus at Alcazar in Encino, though I thought it could have used a dash more lemon. Sep 29, 2012 - The BEST garlic sauce on the planet can be found at Zankous Chicken. It tends to scant the garlic flavor too, though there’s difference of opinion about how much garlic to use even in the Middle East. After soaking, the chickpeas should be rinsed well. Cedar House Cafe in Valley Village, a lively Lebanese hangout with a cheery belly dancer in the evenings, makes a slightly thinner hummus with a better balance of flavors. Sprinkle hummus covered chicken generously with smoked paprika and then place onto prepared baking sheet. Cook chicken at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, or until center of chicken … Different Middle Eastern cities, I found, had different tastes in the garnish department. Cook the chickpeas and baking soda over high heat, stirring frequently, for five minutes. They’re pointing a direction -- a direction that does not lead down the path to sun-dried tomato hummus. ACCESSIBILITY Site by DREAMENTIA. The first Zankou Chicken … Recipes & Inspiration. But, ok, I sort of lied when I said you go to Zankou for the chicken. I first tasted it back in the ‘60s when I was studying in Lebanon, a very quiet place at the time. Yes, you do go for the chicken (and the hummus … Uniquely, it gives you chips of crisp toasted lavash bread as well as pita, and it positively loads you with condiments: tomatoes, pickled turnips, pickled peppers and olives. Lemon juice is more likely to be underplayed in the west end of the Valley (though not everywhere; Sassi, for one, does a good job). The baking soda helps break down … Place the chicken breasts with the hummus coated side down on a plate covered with panko crumbs. Rotisserie Chicken, Chicken Kabob, Shish Kabob and Lule Kabob, Natural Healthy Food "The Gourmet Fast Food" The Zankou Tradition - Everything we serve is made on-site from scratch. Pickled Turnips are the most beautiful, overlooked, delicious pickle you’ll ever encounter. The Tahini Salad is a Zankou Chicken original and a favorite of our loyal SoCal customers. Nothing fancy here, probably about 1tsp of garlic salt and about 1/2t of black pepper. (The hummus can be kept in a tightly closed jar in the refrigerator for up to a week.) Zankou's is a chain restaurant that specializes in Lebanese food - mainly chicken, hummus, falafels, wraps, shawerma, and skewers. ©2020 Zankou Enterprises Inc. All images, photos, and designs are copyright Zankou Enterprises Inc. and may not be used without written permission from the copyright and Trademark owners. MENU + … But it’s still hard to find good hummus. Odd, but successful. Beirut had a rather classical preference, just a couple of whole chickpeas and a spoonful or two of good local olive oil (I understand that Beirutis are tending to finish if off with a sprinkle of paprika these days), or maybe toasted pine nuts. There's about eight locations around CA, but apparently not all are … Over 50 years of tradition & quality. Quarter Dark. Properly served, hummus is a grand thing to see. Transfer the puree to the work bowl of a food processor, add the sesame seed paste and lemon juice and process until white and contracted. Add one-half cup cold water and process until completely smooth. Locations. The problem, I think, is that health foodies were dazzled by the nutritional value of chickpeas and sesame seeds and went overboard on those two ingredients, doing violence to the aesthetic of the dish. We taste … Topped off with a splash of savory olive oil and a pinch of smoky paprika. When the cook was done stirring it around, the bottom of the serving bowl was nearly bare, leaving room for a garnish. On my hummus quest in the Valley, I was looking for rich-textured hummus with a good balance of chickpea, lemon and sesame flavors, preferably with a subtle note of garlic, though I was OK with variations if the cooks seemed to know what they were doing. make Zankou Chicken Garlic Paste recipe … Serving Size : 1 TBS. Zankou Chicken… “One of Los Angeles’s most revered restaurants. … HUMMUS: Garbanzo beans, fresh garlic and sesame tahini blended together and topped with olive oil and paprika. CORPORATE: Zankou Enterprises Inc. 2360 E. 48th St. Vernon, CA 90058. You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. But it also shows off the quality. For me, Alcazar, Carousel (in Glendale) and Cedar House are in a category of their own because they offer those rich toppings of shawarma or sausages or toasted pine nuts that I couldn’t afford when I was a college kid. Diana's Hummus Is the Greatest Recipe of All Time Designer Alex Tatusian reminisces on his mother's short-lived hummus business, and what it taught him about cooking for himself. Adjust the seasoning with salt and lemon juice. Put on low for 8 hours or high for 5 hours. Zankou Chicken. To top it off, we add a drizzle of our … In Tripoli, they would substitute toasted walnuts and melted butter. Anaheim: 2424 W. Ball Rd. Its hummus has a faintly smoky, chunky effect, but Larissa Bedrosyan, who makes it, says the only ingredients are the usual chickpeas, tahini, garlic and lemon, plus a little vegetable oil. Serve chilled or at room temperature; sprinkle with a pinch of paprika and parsley and drizzle with oil. Many are from the Republic of Armenia, where hummus is scarcely known, but others are from western Armenia, often by way of Syria or Lebanon, and they have clear-cut hummus tastes. A few years later, health foodies discovered hummus and popularized it far and wide, just as they did with falafel and tabbouleh. If the paste is too thick, it won’t form that glamorous coil. Crossover hummus ignores the garnish aspect of the Middle Eastern dish while the culinary avant-garde seems to feel unfairly constrained by the traditional recipe. Use it on your pita, chicken - on everything! Also great with chicken … Other Popular Results; Hummus Falafal Wrap. 27 Cal. By … Don’t forget to serve this Classic Falafel recipe with Pickled Turnips and Classic Hummus for a perfect Falafel pita sandwich! 43 % 1g Fat. Our creamy, cool hummus is made in-store daily from the finest and freshest ingredients. As a result of their efforts, you can now get hummus -- or something like it -- at lots of restaurants and snack stands, even in supermarkets. But in Burbank and Glendale, nearly every hummus is distinctly tart -- in fact, Kotayk Kabob Deli in Burbank and Elena’s Greek and Armenian Food in Glendale may even take the tartness thing a little too far. Ostensibly, this is for your convenience, because you can scoop genteelly from the wall of hummus erected for you. You probably have never heard of them unless you’ve had Middle Eastern food and at first glance you … “Everybody puts hummus together a little different,” says owner Victor Tahmazyan, who stresses the importance of fresh garlic. Maybe it’s afraid of upstaging its roast chicken. According to its website, the Zankou Chicken chain, which was founded in Beirut, puts no lemon in its boring hummus. Tabbouleh - Zankou Chicken. It's so fresh and smooth in texture. Pat chicken dry and season with salt and pepper. Israeli restaurants cluster on Ventura Boulevard in Encino and Tarzana. Food: Quarter Chicken Plate-choice of Chicken Breast (with hummus, salad, pita bread, garlic spread, rice) Price: $10.50 Ratings: I really recommend this place if you want a quick fix of Mediterranean … I didn’t find the hummus of my dreams, but I did come across some very good ones, a nicely rounded Top 10 worth seeking out. Bring to a boil; skim, add one-half teaspoon salt, cover, and cook over medium heat, about 1 1/2 hours, until the chickpeas are very soft. History. Take raw skin on and bone in chicken thighs, and put them into the slow cooker skin side up. Ararat after the great flood. And the bronzed skin is sweet and crisp and addictive. Then, cover the chickpeas with water and boil until tender as usual, skimming the foam that rises to the top. Simple recipe… Our smooth, house-made hummus is prepared from garbanzo beans and blended with fresh garlic and tahini, topped with olive oil and a sprinkling of paprika. Press the breasts with a fork over the crumbs and spread 1/8 cup hummus on the top side. Zankou Chicken. The fairly new Van Nuys cafe Noah’s Ark also makes well-balanced hummus with a creamy texture, emphasizing the sesame flavor but contriving not to be heavy; it’s garnished with green olives as well as olive oil. Burbank: 1001 N. San Fernando Blvd. The restaurants are especially known for their spit-roasted chicken, shawarma, falafel, tahini, and a "secret" garlic sauce. Famous for chicken with their homemade garlic spread – must try!! To supplement our quarter chicken, we also shared the tri-tip shawarma plate ($10.49). And I do mean ever people…. Some of these experiments are interesting, but I suspect if they ever tasted the real thing, most chefs would reconsider messing with the fine balance of flavors and texture that is the classic hummus recipe. Zankou is the greatest chicken ever.”– New York Times Homemade hummus and falafels; Garlic flavour in everything, simple recipes; Voted “Best Fast Food” “Best Cheap Eats” etc. 1 ½ cups dried chickpeas, soaked overnight, ½ cup fresh lemon juice, or more to taste, Mixed Melons With Rosewater Granita and Pistachios, Goat Cheese With Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Caramelized Garlic, Rehydrating Dry-Packed Sun-Dried Tomatoes, Coconut and Cardamom Mandazi with Kenyan Chai, Rolex With Spinach, Bacon, Tomato and Avocado, Beef Short Ribs Braised in Tomato & Red Pepper Stew. Zankou Chicken is a small, family-owned chain of Armenian and Mediterranean fast casual restaurants within the Los Angeles area. According to its website, the Zankou Chicken chain, which was founded in Beirut, puts no lemon in its boring hummus. **Recommendation: Any chicken plate WITH garlic spread, Chicken Tarna wrap. Falafel. Maybe it’s afraid of upstaging its roast chicken. To tell the truth, though, Middle Eastern ancestry doesn’t necessarily mean you make good hummus. 0 %--Protein. Hummus was a vegetarian source of protein, it had a rich flavor, it was exotic. Spread a thin layer of hummus over seasoned chicken breast. That’s a huge compliment, by the way. I didn’t bother with many Greek or Iranian places, because in my experience they tend to be unclear on the hummus concept (one prominent exception: Raffi’s Place in Glendale). Some restaurants (too pricey for the student’s budget I was on) were reputed to top hummus with richer things such as roast meat. Too slack, and it slumps shamefully. And there was more to hummus than those pureed ingredients. But the chickens at Zankou are marvelously moist. Maybe the secret is in the wrist. Log Food. **Hummus & Pita 4/6; The hummus is made of all natural ingredients: garbonzo beans, fresh garlic, sesame seeds and olive oil; It's good! And too much tahini not only overwhelms the other flavors, but also makes the hummus heavy and gummy. The perfect addition to any one of our dishes, our Tabbouleh Salad features chopped, juicy tomatoes, freshly chopped parsley, and zesty, diced onion all tossed in a tangy lemon and oil dressing. It is a legend. Zankou Chicken Zankou Chicken - Hummus. A lot of Armenians live in Glendale and Burbank. We blend together vitamin-rich Garbanzo beans, cloves of rich garlic, and freshly made, zestful tahini. A distinct geographical pattern emerged. There are a few Lebanese places in North Hollywood and Valley Village. Here’s where I’m coming from as a hummusivore. Meanwhile, crush the garlic and one-half teaspoon salt in a mortar until pureed. 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