This Falafel recipe is my idea of tasty, comfort food – just load up the tortillas with falafel, grilled veggies and tuck in!!! These versatile chickpea patties can be served just like that with any spicy dip or make a great vegetarian filling for tortillas and pita breads. Falafel is a common dish eaten throughout the Middle East, usually made of chickpeas, fava beans or both. I usually love to tuck in falafels either inside tortilla wraps along with sauces or inside my pita pocket sandwiches.
Ingredients:
For the Falafel:
1 cup chickpeas, cooked
1 onion, coarsely chopped
2 large cloves of garlic, smashed
1 1/2 Tsp ground cumin
1 1/2 Tsp ground coriander
3/4 Tsp cayenne pepper
1 Tbsp Harissa (see recipe here)
½ bunch coriander stalks, reserving the leaves
1 lemon, juiced
1 – 2 Tbsp plain flour, for shaping patties
Salt, as per taste
Oil, for shallow frying
For serving:
4 tortilla wraps
Red and green lettuce leaves
Chopped cherry tomatoes
Chopped Coriander leaves
Sliced onion
1 Cup Greek Yogurt or Plain Yoghurt with Pomegranate seeds stirred in
Instructions:
Drain the cooked chickpeas in a colander until there is no excess water left in the chickpeas.
Put chickpeas into the food processor along with onion, garlic, coriander stalks, harissa, lemon juice and spices.
Blitz until combined without using any water, scraping down the sides of the processor if needed. The mixture will not be smooth, but it should not have large chunks.
Scrape out the mixture into a clean bowl and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Remove the chickpea mixture from the refrigerator. Add enough oil to a large saute pan so it reaches 1/2-inch up the sides and heat it over medium-high heat
Meanwhile, drop spoonfuls of the chickpea mixture onto a plate with 1/4 cup flour. Roll into balls on the floured plate and press gently into patties of about about 1.5cm thickness.
Shallow fry in hot pan for 5 minutes on each side or until golden on crisp on both sides and drain on absorbent papers.
For serving, Pop the tortillas into the microwave for 45 seconds while you slice onion and cherry tomatoes.
Then take with the falafels to the table, scattering everything with the rest of the coriander leaves and yoghurt dip.
Let everyone assemble their own wraps, and serve with red harissa, if you like.