Homemade falafel

Homemade falafel

This homemade falafel recipe uses chickpeas as the main ingredient. A lovely Middle-Eastern dish to serve for lunch or a light dinner.

Homemade falafel

  • Serves icon Serves 4-6
  • Time icon Takes 1 hour to make, plus soaking overnight

This homemade falafel recipe uses chickpeas as the main ingredient. A lovely Middle-Eastern dish to serve for lunch or a light dinner.

Nutrition: per serving

Calories
809kcals
Fat
28.3g (3.6 saturated)
Protein
29.2g
Carbohydrates
116.8g (12.7g sugar)
Salt
4.8g

For 4 servings

Ingredients

  • 3 tbsp tahini (sesame seed paste, from major supermarkets)
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 200g dried chickpeas, soaked overnight
  • 1 level tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1 onion, finely diced
  • Bunch of fresh coriander, roughly chopped, plus extra to garnish
  • Vegetable oil, for frying
  • 8-12 pitta breads, warmed and split, to serve

For the pickle salad

  • 2 small carrots, grated
  • ½ small red cabbage, finely sliced
  • Juice of ½ lemon
  • 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 3 pickled chillies, roughly sliced
  • 3 gherkins, roughly sliced
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Method

  1. Make the pickle salad. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and set aside.
  2. Make the dressing. Combine the tahini, half the lemon juice and 50ml water in a bowl. Whisk until smooth, adding a dash of water if it’s too thick. Season and set aside.
  3. Drain the chickpeas well, then blitz in a food processor to fine crumbs. Add the remaining lemon juice, baking powder, salt, garlic, onion and coriander and blitz again to a pale green purée. Using your hands, shape into 24 small patties.
  4. Half-fill a large, deep heavy-based saucepan with vegetable oil. Heat until a bread cube turns golden in 1 minute. Fry the fritters, in batches, for 3 minutes, turning once, until golden. Drain on kitchen paper.
  5. Divide the fritters and salad between the pittas and drizzle with the dressing to serve.

Nutrition

For 4 servings

Nutrition: per serving
Calories
809kcals
Fat
28.3g (3.6 saturated)
Protein
29.2g
Carbohydrates
116.8g (12.7g sugar)
Salt
4.8g

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