Falafel

By: Greg Malouf, Lucy Malouf
From: New Middle Eastern Food
Serves: 8 as part of a mezze selection
Makes: 36
Photographer: Mark Roper

These spicy patties are a favourite snack all around the middle east, and from Lebanese takeaway shops the world over. Different versions of falafel abound — in Egypt they are made using dried broad beans alone, whereas in Israel, Lebanon and Syria they are usually made with chickpeas. Others still, like the recipe below, use a combination of the two.

These homemade falafel are spicy and fragrant. It is better to use skinless split broad beans rather than the whole, unskinned variety. You can also use fresh yeast as a raising agent instead of the bicarbonate of soda. This will give you an even lighter, crisper falafel. Use 15 grams of yeast blended with a tablespoon of warm water.

Yoghurt-tahini sauce

Ingredients

Quantity	Ingredient
180ml	natural yoghurt
60ml	tahini paste
1	lemon, juiced
1	garlic clove, crushed with 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
100g	skinless split broad beans, soaked overnight and drained
	sea salt
1 1/2 cups	fresh coriander, roots removed
1 tablespoon	ground coriander
1 tablespoon	ground cumin
1 teaspoon	bicarbonate of soda
1	small chilli, finely chopped
1/2	medium onion, finely chopped
1	garlic clove, finely chopped
750ml	olive oil, for frying
	bread, salad, pickled turnips and lemon, to serve

Method

In a food processor, whiz the beans and chickpeas with a pinch of salt until they are the consistency of coarse, sticky breadcrumbs. Add all the other ingredients, except the oil, and whiz until they combine to form a bright-green paste which still has a fine crumb. Don’t overwork the paste — it should not be smooth and wet. Refrigerate for half an hour before frying.
To make the yoghurt–tahini sauce, combine the yoghurt, tahini, lemon juice and garlic paste. Thin with a little water if necessary — the sauce should have the consistency of thin honey. Taste and adjust the flavours as necessary. What you are aiming for is a good balance of sharp yoghurt and lemon with garlic and nutty tahini. Refrigerate and use within 2–3 days.
Heat the oil to 180°C. It is ready when a cube of bread sizzles slowly to the top and turns a pale golden brown. Shape the falafel into little patties and fry for 6–7 minutes, or until they are a deep brown. Eat the falafel straight away, dipped into yoghurt–tahini sauce or stuffed into Arabic flatbread, with salad, pickled turnips and a squeeze of lemon.

Tags:: Malouf; Greg; Lucy; Middle; Eastern

Falafel

Yoghurt-tahini sauce

Ingredients

Method

Recipes

Books

Authors

Collections

Store

The Feed