Falafel with Pita and all the fixings!
This is one of my favorite middle eastern street foods. There is nothing like a warm pita, stuffed with crispy falafel balls, crunchy fresh Israeli salad and tahini. You can, of course, add a myriad other toppings, like spicy sauce (harif), pickled turnips and fried eggplant, but this recipes goes for that bite of simple and delicious authentic falafel. (Adapted from Joan Nathan)
Ingredients
- 1 ½ Cups Dried chickpeas
- 1 Onion chopped
- 1/4 Cup Parsley
- 1/4 Cup cilantro**
- 1 tsp Salt
- ½ tsp Red pepper flakes
- 4 Cloves Garlic
- 1 tsp Cumin
- 1 tsp Baking Powder
- 4-6 TBS Flour
- Vegetable oil for frying
- Israeli Salad see recipe on Taste Guru
- Tahini dressing (see recipe on Taste Guru under Sabich Sandwich)
- 4-6 Pitas
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Instructions
- Soak the chickpeas overnight in a large bowl, covered with water. If you don’t have time to soak them overnight, soak them in boiling water for as many hours as you have.
- Place the soaked chickpeas and the vegetables, herbs and spices into a food processor and process until blended but not pureed. Sprinkle in the baking powder and flour and pulse to combine. Place in a bowl and refrigerate for a few hours.
- Heat oil in a large frying pan. There should be enough oil to come up at least half way up the falafel balls. The oil should be about 375 degrees. Using a small scoop, roll the falafel mixture into walnut sized balls and drop into the oil. Cook until the outside is dark brown, turning to make sure all sides are brown and crisp. Remove to a paper towel lines tray and repeat until you have finished he falafel mixture.
- Warm the pita breads and cut off the top to make a pocket. Place 2-3 the falafel balls in the bottom of the pocket, topped with Israeli salad and tahini.