These fritters were partially inspired by the mala cream shrimp dim sum from the Netflix show, Culinary Class Wars. The dish itself was a mixture of ground shrimp and pork, rolled in julienned spring roll wrappers and deep fried, so that there were these thin strands of crispy-fried dough for extra texture and crunchiness around a juicy filling. I realized as I was stuck with a lot of kataifi(shredded phyllo), that I could make something similar to that dim sum dish! Kataifi is typically used in Mediterranean cuisine, so it made sense to go a more Mediterranean route with this dish. I decided to go with this lamb and chickpea filling that would be surrounded by crispy kataifi dough, and served on top of a bright green hummus made with mint and parsley and heavily seasoned with lemon, olive oil, and garlic to really lock in those Mediterranean flavors. This dish was a ton of fun to make, specifically rolling the yarn-line kataifi around the ground lamb filling, and it has all sorts of bright, acidic, creamy, and herbaceous notes. To make these a little easier to make, I used an air fryer instead of outright deep frying my fritters, but you can totally bake them in the oven too if you do not own a deep fryer!

Makes 2 servings:
For the mint-parsley hummus:
8 cloves garlic
2oz olive oil
.2oz mint
.2oz parsley
15oz canned chickpeas
2oz tahini
.5oz lemon juice
a pinch salt

Mince the garlic and allow it to marinate in the olive oil for 15 minutes. Blanch the mint and parsley for 10 seconds then shock the leaves in cold water. Drain the excess liquid. Then transfer the garlic, olive oil, and herbs to a food processor with the remaining ingredients. Puree everything togehter until smooth and creamy.

For the chickpea-lamb-kataifi fritters:
8oz ground lamb
2oz chickpea flour
6 cloves garlic, minced finely
1 shallot, peeled and diced
2oz olive oil, plus more for the kataifi
a pinch of salt
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground paprika
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp sumac
2 cups loosely packed kataifi

In a bowl, combine the lamb, chickpea flour, garlic, shallot, olive oil, salt, cumin, paprika, oregano, thyme, and sumac until a smooth mixture is formed. Divide the mince into 6 pieces. Toss the kataifi dough with olive oil then roll each ball in the kataifi dough. Air fry the balls at 375 degrees F for 15 minutes.

To garnish:
Olive oil
Sumac
Toasted sesame seeds

Start with the hummus down on each plate. Then place three of the kataifi fritters onto the plate. Finish with olive oil, sumac, and toasted sesame.