Falafel/ Falafel Sandwich / Crispy Falafel with Tahini Sauce

Falafel balls dipped in creamy Tahini sauce or wrapped in a Pita Bread with pickles and sauces is one of my all -time favourite foods. It is a traditional Middle Eastern dish- fried Chickpea patties packed with fresh herbs and spices. Immensely flavourful and delicious, these Falafel balls are crispy besides rich and enticing. Who can resist the crunchy Falafel with the creamy Tahini Sauce? After I moved from Dubai, the food that I missed most were the juicy Shawarmas and Lebanese Falafel sandwiches.

Making Falafel at home is relatively very easy and it requires only few ingredients.The heady blend of Protein rich chickpeas, herbs and spices makes Falafel extremely appealing!  Chickpeas, also known as Garbanzo beans, is widely used in Middle Eastern cuisine. The delicious Hummus dip is a classic example. Likewise in India, we all love the Chole/ Chana Masala or Aloo chana Masala with our Bhatoore and Pooris. Furthermore, Chickpeas are high in protein and rich in vitamins, minerals and fiber. Also, it aids in digestion and helps in weight management which makes it certainly worth to include in your diet. Though you can eat it as a starter or snack with Tahini sauce dip, the popular way of eating it is wrapped in a Pita bread stuffed with sauces, vegetables, pickles, onions etc. Please check the video recipe for Pita Bread.

Check these wonderful snack recipes as well: 

Take a glance at my snack recipes like Chicken pops, sweet dumplings, KFC style crispy chicken, Quesadilla, Fish Fingers, Honey chilli Potato, chicken cutlets, Spinach Pakodas, Chicken momos, Crispy cone snack, fish cutlets, potato croquettes, Chinese spring rolls, Paneer fingers, Dough nuts, Egg Puffs, Paneer puffs, Chicken 65, Meat roll, fried squid rings, stuffed Garlic Bread, Crescent rolls, sausage dinner rolls and many more. Besides, if you like sandwiches or wraps, check my grilled vegetable sandwich, cucumber sandwich, Chicken and Vegetable wrap, Chicken Kati roll, Chicken Burgers etc.

Coming back to Falafel, it is crispy brown on the outside and soft and green inside. Care must be taken while grinding to ensure that it is not mushy. Slightly grainy texture gives you better results. Try making the Pita Bread, Hummus, Lebanese pickles, Arabic Veg. Salad along with Falafel and impress your family with your Arabic menu.  You can deep fry the Chickpea patties for a quick fix or bake in the oven. For the Tahini sauce, I added little Toum for a garlicky flavour and it was awesome. This crunchy, golden Falafel is one of my favourite recipes and I hope you will give it a try.

Ingredients for Falafel:

Ingredients for Tahini Sauce:

Step by Step Method for Falafel:

1. Soak the Chickpeas overnight or around 8 hours.
2. Drain the soaked chickpeas and ground coarsely in a food processor or grinder.
3. Always grind the chickpeas first, or else the whole mix will turn mushy.
4. Next, add the parsley, cilantro, onion, garlic and green chilies and blend till you get a grainy texture. Make sure it is not mushy or smooth but granular.
5. Now, add the coriander powder, Pepper Powder, Cumin Powder, Baking Soda and salt and mix well.
6. Refrigerate for one hour.

7. Add 1 tbsp of corn flour if the chickpea mix is not binding well.
8. Combine well and make small, thick round patties with your hands.

9. Heat oil in a frying pan and fry the Falafel patties to a golden brown on both sides.
10. Drain and keep aside.
11. Fry all patties this way.

Besides frying, you can also bake Falafel. Grease a baking pan and place the patties. Spray some oil and bake @ 200^O c for 15 minutes till golden brown. Turn in between. Have with Tahini Sauce or make Falafel sandwich.

Tahini Sauce:

Whisk Tahini sauce, Curd, Garlic paste (add ¼ tsp first and gradually add more garlic paste/ Toum to taste), Lime juice, small pinch of Pepper powder and salt together.

Falafel Sandwich:

Take one Pita Bread, spread some Mayonnaise, arrange the pickled vegetables, Jalapenos, Fresh slices of tomatoes, Cucumbers, lettuce, fried Falafel balls and top it with Tahini sauce. Enjoy with Hummus, Mediterranean salad and have a feast. Enough to make one drool!

Tips:

• Chickpeas should be soaked in water for about 8 hours or overnight.
• Do not cook the chickpeas.
• Grind the chickpeas first to fine granules and blend/ Pulse the other ingredients. Scrape the sides in between.
• The mix should be grainy and not smooth or mushy.
• Adding Baking Soda makes it light.
• The crust should be crispy and brown with soft green interior.
• For Tahini Sauce, use fresh thick curd. Sour curd will spoil the taste.
• Check the recipe for Lebanese style pickled vegetables/ chillies. You may also use Gherkins, available in supermarkets.
• You can use fresh Garlic paste or Toum (check link for recipe) for Tahini sauce. Use it sparsely as per your taste.

Enjoy these wonderfully crispy Falafel balls and let me know how you like it. Your feedback and suggestions mean a lot to me and would encourage me to create more wonderful recipes for you. God Bless!!