Spiced garbanzo patties with a yummy tahini sauce you will want to put on other things.
I remember Myra telling me about this recipe. She was very excited about figuring out how to make falafel. This is a classic version. You can add other fresh herbs (cilantro, mint) or use a different sauce instead of the traditional Tahini Lemon Sauce (I often use tzatziki). The Tahini Lemon Sauce recipe is easy and in the Notes of the recipe below.
Typically Falafel is eaten in a piece of pita bread but there are other ways to eat them. Put the Falafels on a salad instead of in a pita! Or eat them as an appetizer straight out of the pan. So good.
Sometimes we just want a simple recipe that doesn’t require a lot of time or energy. This recipe is not one of those. It starts with dried beans that you have to soak overnight, and once you make the patties, they need to sit for at least 4 hours or overnight. You will need a food processor. This is also an excellent use of your cookie scoop to make the patties.
And you do have to fry them in oil, which is a whole other process! Be sure to give the falafel patties room to fry—and make sure the temperature is around 350 degrees or they will be soggy. A quick read thermometer is great for this. The cookie scoop mentioned above and digital thermometer can be found at the links to my Kitchen Gadgets page.
Above is how patties should look when they are ready to turn over for 1 more minute of frying. And what they should look like when they’re ready to eat!
I suggest you make the 2-dozen falafel the recipe creates, even if you won’t eat them all at once. You can freeze them and fry them up another time. Or go ahead and cook them all and put them in the freezer. I’ll thaw mine out and heat them in the microwave when we want a quick dinner in the future.
Falafel with Tahini Lemon Sauce
Equipment
- 1 food processor
- 1 set measuring cups and spoons
- 1 sieve to drain the liquid from the onion
- 1 baking tray to store falafel in fridge, and when frying
Ingredients
- 1 cup dried garbanzo beans equals 2 1/2 cups once they soak
- 1 cup finely chopped onion
- 5 cloves finely chopped garlic
- 1/2 cup chopped parsley
- 1 teas. cumin
- 1 teas. coriander
- 1 1/2 teas. salt
- 1 teas. black pepper
- 1/2 teas. ground cayenne pepper
- 1 teas. baking powder
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1 cup or more of vegetable oil for frying
- 1 clove garlic
- 1/2 cup chopped parsley
- 1/2 cup tahini
- 3/4 cup lemon juice bottles or fresh
Instructions
- Soak the dry garbanzo beans covered in water overnight. They should equal about 2 1/2 cups the next day. Pour off any excess water.
- Chop the onion fine in the food processor and put it in a sieve to drain out the liquid while you:Process until fine the 5 cloves garlic and 1/2 cup chopped parsley.
- Add and process until fine, but not pureed (see picture above):the soaked chickpeas, 1 cup onion, cumin, coriander, salt, black pepper, and cayenne.
- Add and process until blended: baking powder and flour.Get out a baking tray to place the falafel on. Use a 2 TBLS. cookies scoop and make about 2 dozen patties. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or overnight.
- You can make the Tahini Lemon sauce now, and refrigerate it, or make it when you are getting the veggies together to stuff the pitas.
- When your patties have rested, take a baking tray and cover with 2 layers of paper towels. Fry the falafel patties at 350 degrees for 3 minutes, turning after 2 minutes. Do not crowd the patties. I use a small skillet and just cook a few at a time. Put the patties on the tray while you fry the rest.
- Serve in pita with lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, or your favorite chopped veggie salad. Drizzle with Tahini Lemon Sauce.
Leave a Reply