Bloomsdale Spinach Falafel: A Mediterranean Delight from Chef Amod Singh
(Above): Bloomsdale Spinach Falafel. (Photo: Amod Singh)
Ingredients:
- 2 Tbsp olive oil, divided
- 1 small red onion, finely chopped
- 1 large garlic clove minced
- 10 oz soaked garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained and rinsed
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ cup dry breadcrumbs
- 3 oz fresh spinach, blanched, drained and squeezed
- 10 each fresh mint leaves.
Method:
- In a flat skillet over medium heat, add I tbsp. olive oil, cook red onion and garlic about 5 minutes until tender-crisp.
- Remove vegetables to bowl of food processor.
- To food processor, add one-fourth of garbanzo beans, lemon juice and salt; pulse with spinach mixture until a smooth paste. Add remaining garbanzo beans, bread crumbs and spinach; pulse until coarsely chopped.
- Shape mixture into four 4-inch patties. (If desired, you can refrigerate until ready to cook.)
- In 12-inch skillet over medium heat, in remaining tablespoon hot olive oil, cook falafel patties until golden and crisp, turning once.
- You can serve as per your choice.
- Can place it in between a pan seared buttered burger bun, sliced onion, tomatoes, lettuce and pickles of your choice with mayo and yogurt.
AMOD SINGH, is a passionate and competent chef with a strong desire to serve quality cuisine. Chef Amod has been in the San Francisco Bay Area for years and has very closely worked with fine dining atmosphere and among the best ingredients, thus turning them into artfully crafted dishes.
With his continuous learning process, he has created, educated and trained a thoughtful team with skills rooted in different traditional cuisine mostly influenced from India, while professionally and competently using modern technique, from all over the world.
Chef Amod has been an integral part of a ‘Two Michelin Star’ restaurant, Campton Place, with an upscale Cal-Indian Cuisine in San Francisco, for the last eight years. He was nominated for the Hotel Council of San Francisco for the Hotel Hero Awards in 2018.
He and his culinary Team have participated at a dinner event at the James Beard Foundation and many more like Saint Sebastian Gastronomika Spain, World Gourmet Festival Thailand, Obsession 19 Northcote, UK. He also participated in other events like SF Chefs, Meals on Wheels, Plate by Plate, Eat Drink SF, and Restaurant Week for a culinary cause.
Chef Amod has also been trained at The Restaurant Amador, A ‘Three Michelin Star’ fare located at Langan, Frankfurt, Germany. Chef Jaun Amador with his cuisine, molecular gastronomy and worldwide food, is one of the leading chefs in the country. Amador is a Reliax and chateaux restaurant which operates for dinner with a team of eleven chefs for 50 to 60 guests.
Amod has graduated as a B.Sc. Scholar with a degree in hotel management from Institute of Hotel Management, Chennai, India, and started his career with the esteemed properties of Taj Hotels and Resorts, within India. Later he moved to Maldives and then got transferred to The Campton Place in San Francisco.
Back in India, Amod also participated at the 17th All India Students Chef Competition 2002-2003 held at IHM Bhopal, Feb 3-6, 2003, where he was awarded ‘Best Student Chef of the Year’ in 2003 (1st place) for the ‘Individual Exercise Competition’ category and 1st place for the ‘Best Team of the Year 2002-2003.’ Apart from that there were several accolades like 1st place in Kitchen Planning, 2nd place in Indian Cuisine, and 3rd place in Culinary Quiz.
Now at The Oxford, Chef Amod is in the role of executive chef, taking care of the day to day operations, maintaining and enhancing the restaurant and kitchen standards.
At the Oxford Kitchen and Gastro Pub, Chef Amod and his team bring the experience of varied flavors from London right to the heart of Sunnyvale, Calif. “In our kitchen, we’re inspired by cuisine from the streets of London having flavors of the Middle East, Southeast Asia, India, and the rest of the UK combined with active dynamism,” says Amod.
From crab cakes and kebabs, to goat curry, and fish and chips, everything is made from scratch, featuring local, organic ingredients.
We also serve craft cocktails and unique libations to complement the vibrant conversations and unique dishes shared among our guests. It’s an experience you won’t find anywhere else besides the city that inspires us.