- Yield: 6-8
Falafel Recipe
Ingredients
- Falafel Ingredients--- Makes 24-36 patties
- 150 grams of dry peeled fava beans
- 300 grams of dried chickpeas
- ¾ cup of fresh parsley leaves (remove stems)
- ½ cup of fresh coriander leaves (stems removed)
- 6-8 cloves of freshly peeled garlic, crushed
- 1 large onion, roughly chopped
- 1 Tbsp sea salt
- 1 ½ tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp cayenne pepper (optional, if a little spicy falafel is desired)
- 1 ½ teaspoon of cumin
- 1 ½ tsp of baking powder
- 1½ tsp all spice
- 1 ½ teaspoons of ground coriander
- ½ cup of water (use when processing ingredients)
- 1 teaspoon of baking soda
- Vegetable oil for frying
- Falafel Tahini Sauce Ingredients
- ½ cup of Tahini Paste
- 1 cup of freshly squeezed Lemon Juice
- 3 gloves of garlic, crushed
- ½ tsp sea salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp fresh parley leaves, (finely chopped, no stem)
- 2-3 tablespoons of water
- Optional Serving Sides
- Pickles (cucumbers, turnips, pickled chilli peppers)
- Diced Tomatoes
- Chopped fresh parsley and lettuce
- Pita bread, wraps or salads
Instructions
- To make Tahini Sauce:Whisk ingredients (tahini, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper) together in a bowl. Add water gradually while whisking, until the sauce is a bit runny like yogurt.
STEP 1: The fava beans and chickpeas need to soak in water, covered, at room temperature overnight. Use two large bowls: Put the beans and chickpeas each in a bowl and add water so that they're covered by at least 6 cm of water. Check occasionally to see if they need extra water added as they soak it up and expand. The next day: If the fava beans had skin on them, peel them now. Drain and rinse the beans and chickpeas well.
- Step 2: Use a food processor to mix in batches (about a quarter of the ingredients in each batch) until you get a crumb-like texture. Add fava beans, chickpeas, onions, garlic, parsley, and fresh coriander. Pulse for 1 - 2 minutes, adding 15 - 30 mL of water and using a spatula to scrape the edges of the bowl as needed to get the right texture. Put the crumbly mixture into a large mixing bowl as each batch is done.
- Step 3:Remove from fridge, knead baking soda into mixture and let sit for 10 minutes. Add dry coriander, cumin, cayenne, black pepper, baking powder, salt and allspice and mix well. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired. Cover tightly and refrigerate for 2 hours.
- Step 4: Using a tablespoon, or if you have a specialized falafel scoop, scoop the mixture and form into small balls, about the size of gold size ball. Flatten slightly. Optional (you can dip patties into sesame seeds to add another layer of flavour. Place on tray and repeat shapping until all mixture is finished.
- Step 5: To fry: in a deep frying pan, heat oil. Working in batches, putting patties into 4-5 cm of hot oil for 3 - 5 minutes. Remove when golden brown and place on paper towels to remove excess oil. NOTE (For a lighter and healthier option, you can place the falafel patties on a baking tray that has been lightly oiled and bake in the oven at 400F for 7-10 minutes.
- Step 6: To serve hot: Crush hot falafel patties onto pita bread. Top with chopped parsley, lettuce, tomatoes, pickle, and tahini sauce. Roll up the pita and serve. To serve cold: Chop patties and add to a cold salad, with lettuce, tomatoes, and pickles. Drizzle tahini sauce over as dressing.
