Falafel pita
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11 or 12 falafel (should make 3 or 4 pita pocket sandwiches)
25 minutes
10 minutes
35 minutes
Ingredients:
Tahini sauce- 1⁄2 cup tahini
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 clove garlic, minced or pressed
- 3 to 5 tablespoons warm water
- kosher salt
- 1 can of chickpeas, drained (15 ounces)
- 1 whole shallot, roughly chopped
- 6 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- kosher salt and black pepper
- vegetable oil for frying (at least 2 inches deep in your pot/pan)
- cucumbers, sliced and cut into bite sized pieces
- tomatoes, sliced and cut into bite sized pieces
- 3 to 4 falafel balls, from above
- tahini sauce, from above
- yogurt sauce (link to recipe)
- pita bread (link to recipe)
- harissa (optional)
Directions:
Tahini sauce: in a medium bowl, mix the tahini, lemon juice and garlic until fully combined. Add water, one tablespoon at a time while whisking until you get a creamy sauce consistency. If the sauce is too thick, add more water. Season with salt until it tastes good to you.
Make the falafel: drain the chickpeas in a colander and transfer them to two paper towels laying on your counter. Roll the chickpeas with your hands on the paper towels to fully dry them.
Add the chickpeas to your food process along with the roughly chopped shallot, garlic, all-purpose flour, and parsley. Pulse the food processor a few times until everything is coming together. Add the cumin and coriander along with a good pinch of salt and some black pepper. Pulse the processor until everything is roughly blended. Do not process until smooth, the mixture needs to be a little course.
Using your hands, form small balls around 1.5 to 2 inches in diameter from the chickpea mixture and place each ball on a plate or sheet pan. Once all the mixture is turned into balls, place them in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or so to cool off.
In a large pan over medium high heat, add one inch of vegetable oil and allow the oil to heat up for 3 to 5 minutes. You can tell the oil is hot enough by adding a drop of water or a tiny pinch of the falafel and if the oil snaps and pops then it's ready to fry.
Fry the falafels until they are golden brown. These will cook quickly so just keep an eye on them and make sure they move around in the oil a little while cooking to get crisp on all sides.
Assemble falafel pita: cut your pita to form a pocket. Add cucumber, tomato, sauces and falafel to the pita pocket. Add dashes of harissa for a pop of heat if desired. Serve and enjoy.
