That’s a huge compliment, by the way. 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. Zankou Chicken is a small, family-owned chain of Armenian and Mediterranean fast casual restaurants within the Los Angeles area. Nothing fancy here, probably about 1tsp of garlic salt and about 1/2t of black pepper. 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. And there was more to hummus than those pureed ingredients. 57 % 3g Carbs. Yes, you do go for the chicken (and the hummus … Zankou is the greatest chicken ever.”– New York Times Take raw skin on and bone in chicken thighs, and put them into the slow cooker skin side up. make Zankou Chicken Garlic Paste recipe … After soaking, the chickpeas should be rinsed well. A distinct geographical pattern emerged. Falafel. (The hummus can be kept in a tightly closed jar in the refrigerator for up to a week.) History. 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. **Recommendation: Any chicken plate WITH garlic spread, Chicken Tarna wrap. Health-food hummus has nearly always been too thick with chickpeas, with far too much tahini flavoring and nowhere near enough lemon juice. 0 %--Protein. It's so fresh and smooth in texture. A lot of Armenians live in Glendale and Burbank. But the chickens at Zankou are marvelously moist. Drain the chickpeas, reserving the cooking liquid. Homemade hummus and falafels; Garlic flavour in everything, simple recipes; Voted “Best Fast Food” “Best Cheap Eats” etc. Zankou Chicken… Log Food. 43 % 1g Fat. Place the chicken breasts with the hummus coated side down on a plate covered with panko crumbs. They’re pointing a direction -- a direction that does not lead down the path to sun-dried tomato hummus. Kilikia in Glendale, located up a couple of steps from the street, feels like some kind of secret clubhouse (I’ve never seen it full) and makes a unique hummus, showing a good balance of chickpeas, lemon and garlic with one additional flavor: a lot of cumin. When the cook was done stirring it around, the bottom of the serving bowl was nearly bare, leaving room for a garnish. The Falafel Plate comes with all of our fresh, homemade sides that our devoted Zankou Chicken customers know and love. Hummus was a vegetarian source of protein, it had a rich flavor, it was exotic. Here’s where I’m coming from as a hummusivore. And if you want to make this Classic Falafel into the best sandwich or wrap…ever. Cook chicken at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, or until center of chicken … Zankou Chicken. Ararat after the great flood. To tell the truth, though, Middle Eastern ancestry doesn’t necessarily mean you make good hummus. I had to make myself stop eating it because (a) it was just so good and (b) there was just so much of it. Thin to desired consistency with reserved chickpea liquid. There's about eight locations around CA, but apparently not all are … Anaheim: 2424 W. Ball Rd. A distinct … Then, cover the chickpeas with water and boil until tender as usual, skimming the foam that rises to the top. It is a legend. You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. Adjust the seasoning with salt and lemon juice. In Tripoli, they would substitute toasted walnuts and melted butter. Serve chilled or at room temperature; sprinkle with a pinch of paprika and parsley and drizzle with oil. Hummus really needs a sharp note of lemon juice to counteract the flat, faintly bitter effect of the chickpeas. Zankou Chicken … 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. 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. Too slack, and it slumps shamefully. Our creamy, cool hummus is made in-store daily from the finest and freshest ingredients. I recently checked out 30 restaurants and cafes to find out. Zankou Chicken. The sauce had a way of lingering on my tongue long after the chicken was gone. According to its website, the Zankou Chicken chain, which was founded in Beirut, puts no lemon in its boring hummus. Famous for chicken with their homemade garlic spread – must try!! But it’s still hard to find good hummus. Maybe it’s afraid of upstaging its roast chicken. The Valley’s hummus scene is based on three main Middle Eastern ethnic clusters. All these places are basically doing the right thing. “Everybody puts hummus together a little different,” says owner Victor Tahmazyan, who stresses the importance of fresh garlic. 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. Meanwhile, crush the garlic and one-half teaspoon salt in a mortar until pureed. We blend together vitamin-rich Garbanzo beans, cloves of rich garlic, and freshly made, zestful tahini. A few years later, health foodies discovered hummus and popularized it far and wide, just as they did with falafel and tabbouleh. Don’t forget to serve this Classic Falafel recipe with Pickled Turnips and Classic Hummus for a perfect Falafel pita sandwich! 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. Now some fusion restaurants are giving us edamame hummus or sun-dried tomato hummus -- undermining the whole idea because hummus is the Arabic word for chickpea -- while commercial producers are adding flavors such as horseradish and kalamata olive. 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. To top it off, we add a drizzle of our … 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). But it also shows off the quality. Ostensibly, this is for your convenience, because you can scoop genteelly from the wall of hummus erected for you. 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). By … I could eat it on its own. Sprinkle hummus covered chicken generously with smoked paprika and then place onto prepared baking sheet. 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. “One of Los Angeles’s most revered restaurants. Topped off with a splash of savory olive oil and a pinch of smoky paprika. Simple recipe… But, ok, I sort of lied when I said you go to Zankou for the chicken. For a smoother texture, press the mixture through the fine blade of a food mill. 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. Different Middle Eastern cities, I found, had different tastes in the garnish department. Zankou's is a chain restaurant that specializes in Lebanese food - mainly chicken, hummus, falafels, wraps, shawerma, and skewers. Tabbouleh - Zankou Chicken. ©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. Recipes & Inspiration. 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. Serve with a Lebanese (or other Mediterranean) chicken (or beef) dish like Recipe #127262. 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. I first tasted it back in the ‘60s when I was studying in Lebanon, a very quiet place at the time. From “Mediterranean Cooking” by Paula Wolfert. You probably have never heard of them unless you’ve had Middle Eastern food and at first glance you … Mutabbal is made with grilled, organic eggplant, zesty garlic cloves, and nutty, velvety tahini. To supplement our quarter chicken, we also shared the tri-tip shawarma plate ($10.49). Pat chicken dry and season with salt and pepper. Maybe the secret is in the wrist. Flip the breasts and press again so the top side coats with the panko crumb … 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. Sprinkle on a liberal amount of garlic salt and black pepper. All salads and sides are 100% Vegan. Spread a thin layer of hummus over seasoned chicken breast. With its high ceilings, airy patio and handsome Lebanese decor, Alcazar is probably the best hummus-eating location in the Valley -- it exudes that Mediterranean feeling that time ceases to exist when you’re noshing with friends. HUMMUS: Garbanzo beans, fresh garlic and sesame tahini blended together and topped with olive oil and paprika. Our perfectly crisp, five-piece falafel is bursting with rich, smooth flavor. Burbank: 1001 N. San Fernando Blvd. CORPORATE: Zankou Enterprises Inc. 2360 E. 48th St. Vernon, CA 90058. Other Popular Results; Hummus Falafal Wrap. 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. The Tahini Salad is a Zankou Chicken original and a favorite of our loyal SoCal customers. 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. Israeli restaurants cluster on Ventura Boulevard in Encino and Tarzana. The clear favorite was Cedar’s Original Hummus, which Gold went as far as saying it reminded him of the hummus at Zankou Chicken. Pickled Turnips are the most beautiful, overlooked, delicious pickle you’ll ever encounter. Add one-half cup cold water and process until completely smooth. 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. Odd, but successful. MENU + … The baking soda helps break down … And the bronzed skin is sweet and crisp and addictive. We taste … 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 … And too much tahini not only overwhelms the other flavors, but also makes the hummus heavy and gummy. 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. Also great with chicken … 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. It’s layered with fresh, crispy romaine lettuce and diced, sweet tomatoes. 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. And I do mean ever people…. 27 Cal. Zankou Chicken. How does Valley hummus stack up, as it were? Serving Size : 1 TBS. 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. 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. On the side were pickled turnips, peppers, hummus… ACCESSIBILITY Site by DREAMENTIA. The first Zankou Chicken … In principle, none of the ingredients was exotic -- I’d certainly tasted chickpeas (though not pureed), sesame seeds (though not ground to a paste called tahini), lemon juice and garlic -- but the combination seemed original and gratifying. Locations. Properly served, hummus is a grand thing to see. Two smaller, humbler places show that you can have a very distinctive flavor and still belong to the classic hummus tradition. Some restaurants (too pricey for the student’s budget I was on) were reputed to top hummus with richer things such as roast meat. Chicken Al-Wazir, also in Glendale, is your basic ethnic storefront, only more ambitious, with beaded lampshades and a musical soundtrack. Quarter Dark. There are a few Lebanese places in North Hollywood and Valley Village. There’s a lot of hummus in our town, particularly in the San Fernando Valley, which has seen wave after wave of immigrant nationalities. Use it on your pita, chicken - on everything! 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. Add the chickpeas to the sesame paste mixture and process until well blended. Those who know this place know their recipe is a very closely-guarded secret. Press the breasts with a fork over the crumbs and spread 1/8 cup hummus on the top side. If the paste is too thick, it won’t form that glamorous coil. Zankou Chicken Zankou Chicken - Hummus. **Hummus & Pita 4/6; The hummus is made of all natural ingredients: garbonzo beans, fresh garlic, sesame seeds and olive oil; It's good! Put on low for 8 hours or high for 5 hours. Over 50 years of tradition & quality. 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. To … Half a dozen more Armenian places are scattered through the mid-Valley, from North Hollywood to Sherman Oaks, along with two Lebanese places, and there’s an Israeli nightclub in Studio City. The cuisine is mostly a mixture of eastern and western Armenian dishes, served in a room embellished with a wall-filling mural of Noah descending from Mt. Cook the chickpeas and baking soda over high heat, stirring frequently, for five minutes. The restaurants are especially known for their spit-roasted chicken, shawarma, falafel, tahini, and a "secret" garlic sauce. Place the soaked and drained chickpeas in a saucepan and cover with plenty of fresh water. 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. Its attractions for them were obvious. 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. And nowhere near enough lemon juice to counteract the flat, faintly bitter effect of the chickpeas to Classic... 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