Falafel with Tahini Sauce
These delicious little-fried chick-pea balls originally came from Egypt. The so-called Ta’amia were probably prepared by Christian Copts as a meatless dish during Lent. Others also suspect that falafel is originally from Lebanon or Palestine. The falafel is very often on the table or in the pita. As a street and fast food, the vegetarian falafel is now one of the most popular meatless alternatives, not only in Arab countries but also in North America and Europe!
Falafel is a delicious vegan/vegetarian food based on chickpeas that are served with pita bread pockets with salad and tahini sauce. Usually, falafels are fried, but in this recipe, we will bake them to avoid the extra oils from the frying process.
- 1.5 cup chickpeas dried
- 1/2 cup onions fine chopped
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp cumin powder
- 2 tbsp parsley powder
- 1/2 tsp crushed coriander seeds
- 1 pinch cayenne pepper
- 2 tsp flour
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 cup tahini Lebanese, Jordan or Egyptian
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp white vinegar
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/4 tsp cumin powder
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 pinch black pepper
- 1 tbsp almond butter
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Cook the unsoaked chickpeas for 6 min in a pressure cooker. (For 1 cup of beans add 3 to 4 cups of water). Quick pressure release and remove water. Put chickpeas back in the pressure cooker and add again 3 to 4 cups of water and cook for an additional 10 min. It is followed by a quick pressure release. The beans should be undercooked and firm in bite and not overcooked. Drain and spread chickpeas on a baking sheet to cool them faster and stop the cooking process.
Put aside and let cool to lukewarm or room temperature
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Add cooled Chickpeas and pulse for a coarse chop. Open from time to time and push the sides down, so it is even.
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Add the first solid ingredients and process the mixture until it is coarsely pureed (and to your taste). Essential is an even consistency.
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Now add the second ingredients and give it three short pulses. Remove knife and put aside. Now mix the mass with the hand and let rest for 5 min.
Spread the mixture out to a rectangular about 1 inch thick and cut three even rows in length and width, so you get about nine equal pieces.
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Roll each of the nine pieces to a ball and press it to a 2-inch patty of an oval shape ( depending on your taste) let them rest for 10 min.
Place them on a baking sheet outlined with a silicone mat.
Preheat the oven to 350F
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Now take one tbs to 2 of almond butter and warm up in a microwave to make it softer and coat each of the patties.
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Bake for 10 to 15 minutes until they get brown. They should be crunchy but not too hard (but that is a matter of taste. In some parts of the middle east, they are deep fried and hard).
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Take them out and let them cook until they get lukewarm or warm up a few seconds in the microwave.
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Put all the ingredients in a narrow long neck container and blend with an immersions blender to make a smooth, creamy sauce
Falafel is a matter of personal taste. Please experiment with this basic recipe. I like my falafel crunchy on the outside but inside soft and not oily. Buy or bake pita bread so that you can make a pocket sandwich, filled with one to two patties some crisp lettuce, some slices of tomatoes or grape tomatoes and put the sauce over it.
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