I am all falafeled out after quite a bit of falafeling to get the recipe to work. Who knew the humble chickpea fritter could be such a mission but thanks to my friend Roger, the final recipe for Falafel with Spicy Tahini Yoghurt is worth it.
*I have since made Ottolenghi’s recipe again using dried chickpeas soaked overnight and it was a great success – read the recipe here*
The first recipe I tried was from Ottolenghi’s Jerusalem and it turned out a bit of a disaster as the fritters disintegrated as they fried. Which meant I ended up baking most of the mixture but who wants it baked when it should be fried? Granted I used tinned chickpeas and did not soak dried ones as his recipe stated. I did a bit of research and also chatted to my friend Roger Jorgensen who makes a mean falafel and he sent me his recipe which had an egg and chickpea flour added to very much similar ingredients as the Ottolenghi recipe. And it worked like a charm.
The key is not to over process the chickpeas. It must not be mushy or pasty and still have some texture to it. If you do over process it will go watery. I used my food processor and pulsed it to the right consistency and Roger mentioned to me he uses a stick blender set to slow speed. And don’t skip the resting period in the fridge – the mixture needs to set.
The one thing I read a few times was that it is the baking powder that lets the mixture split when frying. Roger’s recipe has 1 and half teaspoons of baking powder in it but I left it out after my first disastrous attempt with the other recipe and I am not sure if you can really taste the difference when it is all garnished and drizzled with the yoghurt.
The one thing falafel needs in my opinion is texture, acidity and heat. Top the falafel with chopped fresh tomato or that fantastic Tabbouleh recipe of last week. The yoghurt dressing has lemon juice and zest but don’t be afraid to sprinkle some more lemon juice over the fritters. I added a smoked peri peri sauce to the yoghurt but you could use any hot chili sauce of your choice or some freshly chopped chili.
Falafel with Spicy Tahini Yoghurt
Ingredients
- 2 tins chickpeas drained
- 1 large onion chopped
- 1 large clove garlic mashed
- 1 ½ tsp ground cumin
- 1 ½ tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp salt
- handful chopped flat leaf parsley
- handful chopped fresh coriander
- 1 large egg
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ cup chickpea flour
- chickpea flour for shaping the fritters
- vegetable oil for deep frying
- For garnish
- Chopped tomatoes
- Chopped parsley
- Sesame seeds
- Spicy Tahini Yoghurt Sauce
- ¾ cup full fat plain yoghurt
- 3 tbsp tahini
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 1 garlic clove mashed
- 1 – 2 tbsp chilli sauce
- big pinch of salt
Instructions
- For the fritters, combine the chickpeas, onion, garlic, cumin, coriander, salt, parsley, coriander, egg, and lemon juice in a processor and blitz until just combined. Be careful not to over process to a smooth paste, you still want the mixture to have some texture.
- Place the mixture into a bowl and mix in the baking powder and chickpea flour until just combined. The mixture must hold itself together.
- Cover and chill in the fridge for an hour.
- While the mix is resting make the yoghurt dressing by mixing all the ingredients together and refrigerate until needed.
- Heat the oil and test if the oil is hot enough by dropping a small bit of mixture into the oil. The mixture must start to sizzle and fry immediately.
- Place some of the chickpea flour on a plate.
- Wet your hand and roll the mixture into balls about the size of a walnut.
- Roll in the flour and fry in the oil in batches for 6 - 8 minutes until well browned and cooked through.
- Drain and serve while hot in a wrap or pita with the chopped tomato, parsley, sesame seeds and spicy tahini yoghurt.
- Adapted from Roger Jorgensen
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Annitta
Mar 2, 2015
Hello Hein
The secret is to soak dried chickpeas overnight. There’s something about tinned chickpeas that causes the mixture to disintegrate. Soak dried ones avoids this problem.
The Lebanese also mix chickpeas and broad beans(favs beans). You can get the dried versions of both at most delis.
hein
Mar 2, 2015
Thanks for letting me know Anita. I have dried chickpeas now on my shopping list to make it again. The only bad thing is having to wait till the next day!
Thalia @ butter and brioche
Mar 17, 2015
I’ve made falafel a couple of times but the taste never really does compare to the ones I can buy or have eaten in the past. I definitely am inspired to try out your recipe – hopefully I have some success, they look perfect!
hein
Mar 17, 2015
Thank you Thalia. I think the guys who make them on the streets may have some tricks they’re not sharing!
10 Things to Pack in Your Picnic Basket – Middle Eats
Oct 31, 2016
[…] It’s easy to make and it’s great hot or cold making falafel the perfect food for picnics, plus the chickpeas are full of protein, a great energy source! Check out this delicious recipe from heinstirred. […]