Gulin Falafel

Delicious recipes for Middle Eastern-style patties, plus sauces, pickles, salads and pitta
1. Auflage 2023
ISBN: 978-1-78879-565-4
Verlag: Ryland Peters & Small
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: 6 - ePub Watermark

E-Book, Englisch, 160 Seiten

Falafel are deep-fried balls or patties of chickpea or broad beans, with added herbs, spices, onion and garlic and are widely eaten across the Middle East. While the style varies from region to region, they're usually enjoyed in a wrap or pitta with salad, tahini, pickles and a spicy sauce. Long popular in Britain, particularly among immigrant communities, falafel are now a nationwide staple, and have swiftly become one of our most popular fast foods. It's not hard to see why: they also fall into that wondrous overlapping category of being crave-worthy and satisfying, as well as nutritious and fairly low in fat. What's more, they are a brilliant source of protein for those who don't eat meat. They are rich in fibre and modern falafel are often made with added vegetables, nuts and seeds, lentils, or grains, as are many of the delicious recipes in this book. Try the Fennel & Lemon Scented Falafel or Juicy Brown Rice Faux-lafel. Find Crunchy Sesame Falafel or Falafel Croquettes or enjoy snacks such as tasty Mediterranean Seed Falafel, all packed with good stuff, and very low fat. Whip up a drizzle such as Home-made Tahini Sauce, as the perfect complement your hot, freshly cooked patties. Finally, make tangy quick pickles, crisp herby salads and easy flatbreads so you can serve your freshly cooked falafel with all the trimmings and enjoy it as its best.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Gulin, Dunja

Leseproben

Surely you have tasted, or maybe even prepared, one version of this classic falafel recipe. An intensive 24-hour soak makes the chickpeas properly soft, which gives a lovely moist yet light mixture that is easy to digest.

traditional chickpea falafel pockets

180 g/1 cup dried chickpeas/garbanzo beans

80 g/? cup chopped onion

2 garlic cloves

bunch of fresh parsley, leaves only

2 teaspoons ground coriander

½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda/baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cumin

? teaspoon chilli/chili powder

1½ teaspoons salt

230 ml/1 cup oil, for frying

SERVING SUGGESTION

4 pitta pockets

Tahini Sauce (see page 113)

raw vegetables (such as sliced tomatoes, cucumber, lettuce, radishes, parsley, spring onions/scallions)

Makes 24–26 small falafels

Soak the chickpeas in plenty of water for 12 hours. Drain, discarding the water, cover with fresh water and let soak for another 12 hours. Drain, rinse well and let drain again for another 5 minutes.

It’s best to use a food processor fitted with an ‘S’ blade for blending the falafel mix, even though it can also be done in a good blender, in 2 batches.

First blend the drained chickpeas; the texture should resemble coarse sand. Add all the remaining ingredients (except the frying oil) and blend until you get a paste. Cover with clingfilm/plastic wrap and let sit in the fridge for 1 hour, or longer.

Roll into walnut-sized balls, wetting your hands once in a while to prevent sticking.

Deep-fry the falafels in hot oil for 4 minutes or until nicely browned (see tips page 9). Because we’re using soaked chickpeas, these falafels need to be deep-fried to make them digestible – baking them wouldn’t work.

Warm the pitta pockets, fill with vegetables of your choice, add falafel balls and serve with the tahini sauce. Yum!

The most important step in making this falafel is to blend all the ingredients really well into a thick paste. Chunky falafel mix burns easily and tends to fall apart during frying – we want these pointed falafels to get a nice crunchy crust with a juicy, bright-green inside. You can use fresh or thawed peas instead of broad/fava beans, with equally yummy results.

FRESH BROAD BEAN FALAFEL

350 g/2? cups shelled fresh broad/fava beans

2 garlic cloves, crushed

½ small bunch fresh mint, leaves only

½ small bunch fresh parsley, leaves only

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon cumin seeds, crushed

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 tablespoon gram flour (chickpea/garbanzo bean flour)

230 ml/1 cup oil, for frying

SERVING SUGGESTION

baked pumpkin squares

pink or regular sauerkraut

rocket/arugula or microgreens

Cashew 'Yogurt' Sauce or Tofu Mayonnaise (see page 106)

Makes 10 falafels

Bring a pan of water to the boil and boil the broad beans for 1 minute. Drain and run them under cold water to cool them down to the point where you can handle them. Pinch their skins off with your fingers and slip the inner bright green beans out. You should get about 250 g/1½ cups peeled beans.

In a food processor fitted with an ‘S’ blade, chop the mint and parsley leaves, then add the skinned beans and whiz until chopped into a paste. Scoop into a bowl, add the remaining ingredients (except the frying oil) and knead for a second to incorporate.

Scoop up small amounts of mixture and use 2 spoons to shape into oval balls with lightly pointed ends. Deep-fry in hot oil for 3–4 minutes or until nicely browned (see tips page 9).

I serve these falafels in wide bowls, placed alongside baked pumpkin, pink sauerkraut and rocket, and drizzled with cashew 'yogurt' sauce or tofu mayo. A very satisfying and nutritious meal!

Chickpeas/garbanzo beans aren’t the only legumes you can soak to make falafel! Red lentils are also an option – they make a falafel that is softer and easier to digest, and the soaking time is shorter! I usually add Indian spices to the mix, as well as young chard greens from my garden, but feel free to use any spices and any type of soft greens you can lay your hands on!

RED LENTIL FALAFEL WRAPS

90 g/½ cup split red lentils

40 g/1 cup finely chopped chard or spinach

2 garlic cloves

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh ginger

1 teaspoon curry powder

½ teaspoon ground coriander

½ teaspoon ground turmeric

½ teaspoon garam masala

½ teaspoon ground ginger

? teaspoon chilli/chili powder (or to taste)

230 ml/1 cup oil, for frying

SERVING SUGGESTION

wholegrain tortillas

young lettuce leaves

Super Simple Salsa (see page 109)

Herb & Avocado Dip (see page 108)

Makes 12 falafels

Wash the red lentils thoroughly and let them soak in plenty of water overnight. Drain, rinse well and let drain again for 5 minutes. It’s best to use a food processor fitted with an ‘S’ blade for blending the falafel mix, even though it can also be done in a good blender. Blend all the ingredients (except the frying oil) until you get a paste – the texture should resemble coarse sand.

Roll into walnut-sized balls, then pat them down just a little to get chubby oval-shaped falafels. To prevent sticking, wet your hands while shaping.

Deep-fry the falafels in hot oil for 4 minutes or until nicely browned (see tips page 9). Because we’re using soaked lentils, these falafels need to be deep-fried to make them digestible – baking them wouldn’t work.

To assemble, warm the tortillas in the oven, add some lettuce and 4 or 5 falafels on top of each one, together with 2 tablespoons each of salsa and avocado dip. Wrap up and serve with extra dips. Or, even better, put all the ingredients on the table and let everyone make their own wraps!

This is a falafel recipe with a slightly different spice twist! The fennel taste from the seeds and the bulb itself pair well with the refreshing citrus aroma from the lemon zest. A must-try!

FENNEL & LEMON-SCENTED FALAFEL

180 g/1 cup dried chickpeas/garbanzo beans

2 shallots

2 garlic cloves

½ bunch fresh fennel fronds or coriander/cilantro leaves

1 teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda/baking soda

1 teaspoon ground coriander

? teaspoon chilli/chili powder

1½ teaspoons salt

230 ml/1 cup oil, for frying

SERVING SUGGESTION

pitta pockets

Romaine lettuce leaves

fennel bulb, shaved into thin shavings using a vegetable peeler pickles

Tahini Sauce (see page 113, or other sauce of choice)

lemon wedges

Makes 24–26 small falafels

Soak the chickpeas in plenty of water for 12 hours. Drain, discarding the water, cover with fresh water and let soak for another 12 hours. Drain, rinse well and let drain again for another 5 minutes. The 24-hour soak will make the falafel easier to digest and the mixture won’t be too dry.

It’s best to use a food processor fitted with an ‘S’ blade for blending the falafel mix, even though it can also be done in a good blender, in 2 batches.

First blend the drained chickpeas, the texture should resemble coarse sand. Add all the remaining ingredients (except the frying oil) and blend until you get a paste. Cover with clingfilm/plastic wrap and let sit in the fridge for 1 hour, or longer.

Roll into walnut-sized balls, wetting your hands once in a while to prevent sticking. Deep-fry the falafels in hot oil for 4 minutes until nicely browned (see page 9). Because we’re using soaked chickpeas, these falafels need to be deep-fried to make them digestible – baking them wouldn’t work.

Warm the pitta pockets and fill them with lettuce, fennel shavings, pickles and falafel balls, and serve with tahini sauce and lemon wedges.

If you’re looking for an instant falafel recipe that requires minimal prep, check out these crunchy beauties! Serving them with a fair amount of sauce is key, since the use of gram flour (chickpea/garbanzo bean flour), instead of soaked chickpeas/garbanzo beans, results in a slightly drier consistency.

gram FLOUR & HARISSA PATTIES

120 g/1 cup gram flour (chickpea/garbanzo bean flour)

¼ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda/baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon harissa (or to taste)

¼ teaspoon dried oregano

30 g/1 tablespoon very finely chopped onion

80 ml/? cup hot water

3 tablespoons coconut oil (or other oil), for frying

harissa paste and Tofu Mayonnaise (see page 106), to serve (optional)

Makes 8–10 patties

Combine the flour with the other dry ingredients, mix in the chopped onion and slowly start incorporating the hot water. You should get a non-sticky dough that can be shaped easily. Let the mixture sit for 10 minutes before forming it into small patties.

Heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan/skillet over a medium heat. Depending on the size of your pan you will need to fry them in at least 2 batches. Make sure not to overcrowd the pan. Lower the heat and let the falafels fry for 3–4 minutes on each side, or until golden brown. If you wish to build your...