Get outside your restaurant comfort zone, Boise. Try these 2 ethnic food standouts

If you are one of those who’s a month into your New Year’s resolution, working to find a better work-life balance or whatever your goal was, I’d like to suggest that you add something to your list in 2022: trying local restaurants — especially if it is something outside your comfort zone!

And here are a pair to help get you started — two places that have good stories and bring rich personal histories to the food they serve.

Amina’s African Sambusas

Amina’s started as a vendor at the Saturday markets in downtown Boise and finally moved to a brick-and-mortar location at 6555 Overland Road last September, and it still serves up authentic African dishes that are flavorful and hearty, and sure to please anyone with an adventurous palate.

The menu is extensive: crispy sambusas, flavorful rice and stewed vegetables, well-spiced chicken and beef. And Amina’s is run by a family with an American dream story — refugees who fled turmoil and hardship to build a successful business that celebrates their culture and background in the U.S.

The dining room is a bit subdued and a little drab, but the flavors of the food provide the fireworks. Warm spices such as cinnamon, star anise, paprika and different peppers warmed up my tongue and overwhelmed my taste buds — a complex but well-designed medley of components in my meal that was like nothing else I’ve had in Boise.

I got the veggie option of the sambusa, which is essentially an African take on an empanada. It had a golden-brown finish, with curried potato and vegetables inside. The contrast of the crispy, salty exterior mixed with the soft curry-spiced potato, sweet carrot, sharp cilantro and rich onion made it a perfectly balanced start to my meal.

The crispy grilled chicken was perfect, well-seasoned, with the bone in and skin on. It was just what you want — crispy on the outside, moist and flavorful under the skin, and not greasy. It was served on a bed of rice with a smoky and sweet red-pepper sauce. It also came with a vegetable and spinach mixture that was somehow both subtle and rich. I had plenty of leftovers, and I’ll be back, too.

The sambusas are $4, the dinners range from $10.50 to $12.99, and a variety of breads are available for $2 to $6. Amina’s is open from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday-Saturday.

Falafel Co.

The Falafel Co. food truck finally has a permanent location, at 5114 W. Emerald St., so there is no need to chase it around. And its awesome food is worth finding, with the most expensive dish costing $11.99.

The business was started by Ali Alaali and his brother, who came to the U.S. from Syria at a young age and wanted to share the food they know. Alaali and his co-cook, Aziz Serhan, now man the truck together, Tuesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Having lived briefly in the Middle East, I love great, light falafel, a combination of ground chickpeas and spices rolled together and fried into a ball. Good hummus and tahini sauce, a very flavorful dressing made up of olive oil and sesame seeds, put the falafel over the top.

The food truck also serves up perfectly cooked chicken shawarma, which can be enjoyed either in a wrap or as part of a platter, with Middle Eastern salad (chopped tomatoes and cucumbers) and hummus. There also are lamb gyro plates and wraps, which are full of veggies, hummus and tahini. They are slightly greasy but also savory.

Finally, Falafel Co. serves one of my favorite Middle Eastern dishes, tabouli. Tabouli is a great side to any meat option. It’s a wonderful combination of parsley, bulgur wheat, salt, lemon, olive oil, mint and garlic. No matter what time of year it is, tabouli will always taste as alive as summertime.

It’s exciting to see authentic Middle Eastern food in Boise, and to see young chefs trying to make their way on the scene. Enjoy some food from different cultures this year — it’s a good resolution.

This story was originally published February 4, 2022 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Get outside your restaurant comfort zone, Boise. Try these 2 ethnic food standouts."