Street-Cart Style Falafel and Rice Bowls will transport you to the streets of New York with spicy yellow rice, Afia Foods falafel, and a drizzle of the iconic red and white sauces.
I received product reimbursement from Afia Foods for this post
but the recipe, photos, and opinions are my own.
When <3M and I lived in New York he regularly asked me to go eat at the Halal street carts with him which served up the now-iconic chicken and rice bowls. There were quite a few around the streets of New York, with The Halal Guys being the most famous.
For the longest time, I was hesitant to eat from the street carts because these vendors are literally open carts on the street that millions of people walk by daily. They’re not food trucks and I viewed it as unsanitary. Plus, how great could chicken and rice be? But after hearing him rave about the food, flavors, and how much he knew I’d like it, I eventually gave in.
My First Street-Cart Meal
I remember my first time eating at the street cart ordering a rice bowl. It was a late night after being out at some bars (when most street cart meals happen…) and the line was ridiculously long. Luckily, our friend was a frequent eater of the cart and was able to expedite us to the front of the line.
When we got up to order, I looked at the very basic menu and saw some terms I didn’t know. I instantly became overwhelmed and confused. It felt like that Seinfield episode with the Soup Guy where everyone is speaking a secret code — kind of like ordering a cheesesteak in Philidelphia.
I was all sorts of confused about the red sauce and the white sauce. What’s in the white sauce? How spicy is the red sauce? Can I get it with just a little bit of rice and mostly salad? Did I want chicken or falafel? Could I have both?
Finally, frozen by having to make a decision, I told <3M to just order and we’d share his plate. I remember he got a combination bowl with chicken, falafel, and rice topped both red and white sauce.
And it was delicious. The flavor combination of fluffy rice, tender chicken, spice, and tang was like magic in my mouth. I loved it.
So when Afia Foods reached out to me about creating a recipe using some of their products, I was instantly drawn to the Afia falafel and knew I wanted to remake the classic street cart rice bowls from my time in New York.
I love Afia falafel and they’re actually a staple in my freezer (I buy them on my own even when I’m not partnering with them on recipes!). They have two flavors, Original, Three Cheese, Garlic & Herb, and Turmeric (which has a little spice to it). Both are vegan, gluten-free, non-GMO verified, and the ingredients don’t contain any funky fillers like other falafels on the market. Plus, Afia Foods is based right here in Austin, Texas, originally started as a food truck that is still running off of Burnet Road.
<3M and I pick up our Afia Foods falafel at HEB and eat them as a snack, throw them on top of salads as a vegetarian main, and use them to make our favorite Za’atar Cauliflower Rice & Falafel Power Bowls — which is why I knew their flavor would be perfect in my Street-Cart Style Falafel & Rice Bowls.
Making the Street-Cart Style Falafel and Rice Bowls
My Street-Cart Style Falafel and Rice Bowls start by toasting the rice in avocado oil, cumin, and turmeric before adding any liquid so it truly develops in flavor. And, in place of water, I use chicken stock. This combination gives the rice that classic street-cart yellow coloring which results in a flavorful and comforting base to hold the falafel.
Rice toasting on the stovetop with cumin and turmeric
The dish is accompanied by a small side of romaine lettuce, cucumbers, green onions, tomatoes, and homemade quick-pickled radishes. On top, I drizzled a homemade white sauce using Greek yogurt, apple cider vinegar, and lemon juice for an added tang that is seasoned with a splash of olive oil, salt, and white pepper (because I hate specks of black pepper in white sauces).
Whites sauce ingredients ready to whisk together
As a short cut for the spicy red sauce, I used another Austin-local, Yellowbird Blue Agave Sriracha. But if you happen to have some harissa on hand, by all means, use that in place of the sriracha as your red sauce. It’d be even more authentic.
Side salad ready to go
Lastly, as my own twist on the dish, I added an 8-minute egg that had a gooey yolk to accompany the falafel and rice. Because let’s be real, everything’s better with an egg on top!
According to <3M, these were fresh from New York Street-Cart Style Falafel & Rice Bowls!
He loved the rice and falafel while the white and red sauce combination brought him back to the streets of New York. So, if you’re looking for a meal that will transport you to the city, grab your bag of Afia Foods falafel during your next HEB shopping trip and whip up these Street-Cart Style Falafel and Rice Bowls.
- For the rice
- 1 T avocado oil
- ½ tsp turmeric
- ½ tsp cumin
- 1½ cups basmati rice
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
- 2½ cups chicken broth
- For the white sauce:
- ¾ cup 2% greek yogurt
- 1 T lemon juice
- 1 T apple cider vinegar
- 1 T olive oil
- 2 T chicken broth
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp white pepper
To assemble:- 4 8-minute eggs
- 1 small head of romaine lettuce, roughly chopped
- ½ cup diced tomato
- ½ cup diced cucumber
- ¼ cup pickled radishes, using this method
- 12 Afia falafel, original or turmeric
- Sriracha or harissa
- Make the rice by adding the oil to a large saucepan that has a lid and heat over medium-high for 1-minute. Add the cumin and turmeric, stirring it all together, and let it toast for 1-2 minutes. Add rice, give everything a stir, and toast 4-minutes. Add the broth with salt & pepper. Bring the rice to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cover. Allow the rice to cook on simmer for 15-minutes, covered. After 15 minutes, remove the rice from the heat and allow it to rest until the water is completely absorbed and the rice is cooked through, about 15 minutes more. Keep warm until serving.
- While the rice is cooking, make the 8-minute eggs. Bring a medium saucepan to boil with 6 cups of water. Once the water is boiling, gently add in your eggs using a slotted spoon. Set at a timer for 8-minutes and allow the eggs to cook in the water with a medium boil. While the eggs cook, prep a large bowl of water (~6 cups) filled with ice and place it next to the stove. When your timer goes off, remove the eggs from the boiling water using a slotted spoon and immediately place them in the ice water. Allow the eggs to cool in the ice water for 5-minutes before gently peeling and cutting each in half.
- Cook the falafel according to the package directions.
- Before assembling, make the white sauce by whisking together all of the white sauce ingredients, adding more chicken broth as needed to reach your desired drizzling consistency.
- To assemble the bowls: divide the rice into four bowls, top with the warm falafel, add the side salad ingredients (lettuce, onions, cucumber tomato, pickled radishes). Top with the 8-minute egg and drizzle everything with the white sauce and sriracha, if using.
