Details
Falafel
Middle Eastern0.3$90$ OFFThis round, deep-fried patty of ground chickpeas, herbs, spices and onions makes for a tasty veggie treat. Falafel has a thousand-year history, probably hailing from Egypt, where it was eaten as a substitute for meat by Coptic Christians during Lent and was made with fava beans. The dish later migrated towards the Levant, where it took on its current chickpea form.
Details
Cuisine:
Middle EasternRecipe Type:
Falafel pittaDifficulty:
MediumPreparation Time:
15 minsCooking Time:
20 minsServes:
6
Ingredients
4 garlic cloves, peeled
1 handful coriander leaves and stalks
1 handful parsley leaves
400 g chickpeas, soaked overnight in cold water and drained
4 tbsp gram flour
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp Aleppo pepper flakes
0.5 tsp baking powder
0.2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
750 ml vegetable oil, for deep-frying
1 pinch sea salt
1 onion, roughly chopped
Recipe
Blitz the onion and garlic in a food-processer until fine. Add the herbs and continue to blend until they are completely whizzed up. Add the chickpeas, gram flour, cumin, coriander, Aleppo pepper flakes, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda.
Season with a really good pinch of salt and blitz again for a few minutes to combine.
Scrape the sides down with a spatula and blend until the mixture combines into a paste. Roll into 30–32 small falafel the size of walnuts.
Heat the vegetable oil in a deep saucepan over a medium–high heat. You will need about 7–10cm (3 inches) oil, enough to completely cover your falafel.
Cook the falafel, a few at a time, for 1–2 minutes until golden. You have to watch the heat, adjusting it so that they don’t cook too fast and burn. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper.
Serve in the pitta with lettuce, parsley, pickles, a sprinkle of sumac, a drizzle of tahini and chilli sauce to taste.