Falafel are traditional Middle Eastern chickpea fritters that
are packed with protein and fiber and are incredibly
versatile. As small patties, falafel make a great meze dish
accompanied with the tahini sauce. We also nestle them in
warmed pita bread or flat-bread with hummus, lettuce, tomato,
cucumber, red onion, tahini sauce, plus a drizzle of chili
sauce like sriracha.
Larger falafel patties make wonderful veggie burgers — either
with the usual cheese, lettuce, onions and sliced tomatoes or
turned into Falafel
burgers with tahini-yogurt sauce. Sometimes we also cook
walnut-size balls of the mixture and add them to a
tomato-based pasta sauce for a version of spaghetti and
meatballs.
The falafel mix keeps well in the fridge, in an airtight
container or covered bowl, for up to a week. You can also
freeze the mix for a few months and defrost it in the fridge
overnight before shaping and cooking.
Falafel with tahini sauce
Serves 4
Delicately seasoned falafel
(Middle Eastern chickpea fritters) served with creamy tahini
sauce. Enjoy in pita bread with crisp salad vegetables, or
simply by themselves as a delightful appetizer.
8 oz (230g) dried chickpeas
1 onion — diced
3 garlic cloves (1 clove roughly chopped, 2 cloves minced)
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 ½ teaspoons salt
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, for frying
½ cup tahini (sesame seed paste)
¼ cup lemon juice
¼ cup water
SOAK the chickpeas overnight in
plenty of cold water, covered, on the kitchen bench (the dried
chickpeas will swell to around 3 cups worth of soaked
chickpeas). DRAIN the chickpeas well and place in a food
processor. PULSE until they form a roughly chopped mixture,
then add the onion, 1 clove of chopped garlic, parsley, cumin,
coriander, 1 teaspoon of salt and olive oil and pulse more,
scraping the sides occasionally, until the ingredients are
well combined and the mixture holds together. HEAT 3
tablespoons of olive oil in a large frying pan over medium
heat. FORM golf ball-size spoonfuls of the mixture (about 1
heaped tablespoon each) and flatten slightly with the palm of
your hand (dampen your hands first to help prevent sticking).
FRY half the patties (about 9) for 4 minutes on each side
until crisp and golden. REPEAT the process with the remaining
olive oil and falafel mixture. TO make the tahini sauce, place
the tahini, 2 minced garlic cloves, ½ teaspoon salt, lemon
juice and water into a small bowl and mix thoroughly to
combine.
