These falafels are really delicious and full of green goodness. They are great for lunches, dinners or a wonderful snack that the whole family can enjoy. You need to soak the chickpeas (garbanzo beans) overnight so plan ahead and see the note for directions.
TIP: You can freeze some of the falafel mix too to have on hand. Try using these falafels in a pita bread (or bread of choice) for a yummy sandwich.They are also great served on a salad and use the Tahini Lemon Herb Sauce as the dressing.
NOTE: You’ll need to start this recipe the day before you plan to make the falafel as you will need to soak the dried chickpeas (garbanzo beans) for at least 12 hours to overnight. To soak the chickpeas, place them in a large bowl or sauce pan and cover with at least 6 cups of water. Rinse and drain well before using. Do not use cooked canned chickpeas (garbanzo beans) for this recipe as it will make mushy falafel
MAKES approx. 40 small (20 larger)
PREP TIME 45 – 50 minutes
COOKING TIME 10 – 15 minutes
Falafel Ingredients
- 1 and 2/3 cups dried chickpeas (garbanzo beans). To soak see note above
- ½ medium onion, roughly chopped or grated
- 1 cup roughly chopped parsley
- 1 cup roughly chopped coriander (cilantro) or baby spinach
- 2 cloves garlic finely chopped or grated
- 1½ tsp sea salt and freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp curry powder (mild or hot)
- ¼ cup chickpea (besan) flour (or gluten-free flour)
- ½ tsp baking powder (non-aluminium)
- Avocado, coconut or olive oil for cooking (I used avocado oil.)
Tahini Lemon Herb Sauce Ingredients
- ½ cup tahini
- ¼ cup hot water
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- ¼ cup lemon juice (to taste)
- 1 tbsp maple syrup or honey (optional, to taste)
- ¼ tsp sea salt and freshly ground pepper (to taste)
- A dash of cayenne pepper (optional, to taste)
- ½ cup roughly chopped parsley and/or coriander (cilantro.)
Method
Place all the falafel ingredients except the chickpea (garbanzo beans), flour and baking soda into a food processor and blend until the mixture looks like coarse sand, do not blend until completely smooth as you want a little texture in the mix.
Scoop the mixture into a large bowl andadd the chickpea flour and baking soda and stir until completely combined, then cover the bowl and chill the falafel mixture for 30 minutes to 1 hour
To make the falafel you canuse a melon ball cutter, a cookie scoop (to keep the balls the same size) or you can do this by hand. You can make round balls or flatter patty shapes. The flatter shapes work better for pan frying or baking larger falafel, however pan frying or baking smaller balls work great too. Make all the falafel first and place them on a plate or tray. You can make them ahead of time, cover and refrigerate for a few hours before cooking, if you like.
To pan-fry heat a few tablespoons of oil in a large frying pan on medium-high heat. Gently place approx. 1/2 – 1/3 of the falafel in the pan (depending on the size of your pan) and cook each side for 2 – 3 minutes or until golden. Transfer them to a plate or baking tray lined with paper towels (to drain excess oil) and then loosely cover with baking paper to keep warm while you cook the rest of the falafel. You can also keep them warm in the oven (125C/250F).
To bake pre-heat oven to 225C/425F. Line a baking tray with baking paper and lightly brush the baking paper with oil. Place the falafels on the try leaving a little room between them and bake for 25 – 30 minutes, turning halfway through.
To make the Tahini Lemon Herb Sauce place all the sauce ingredients into a high-speed blender and blend until well combined and creamy. Taste and add a little more sea salt, lemon juice and/or maple syrup, if desired. You may want to add a little more hot water to thin the sauce, if desired. The thicker sauce is great to use on sandwiches. The sauce can be made ahead and will keep refrigerated for up 5 days.
Serve the falafel immediately drizzled with Tahini Lemon Herb Sauce and enjoy.
You can also serve them chilled, if you like.
With joy!
Recipe by Chef Kate
Beautiful images by Holly Kent | @hollyvkent
You may love Chef Kate’s cookbook, The Flavour of Joy. Containing stories to inspire, amuse and uplift as well as delicious, healthy recipes you’ll love.
Kate uses local organic and sustainable ingredients in her tasty and nutritious recipes, also including superfoods and medicinal herbs in her dishes to create healthy and nourishing food for the body, mind, and spirit.
