This falafel platter is quick and simple to make and delicious too. With my very first bite of crispy falafel fritters, I was in love this dish and since then it has become a favourite. It’s healthy, loaded with lots of vegetables and a great source of protein.
Ingredients
- Serves 3
- For the Falafel
- 1 Cup Dried White Chickpeas
- 1 Small Onion (chopped)
- 1 Tsp Garlic (chopped)
- 3 Tbsp Coriander Leaves (chopped)
- 2 Tbsp Mint Leaves (chopped)
- 1/2 Tsp Red Chili Powder
- 1 Tsp Coriander Powder
- 1 Tsp Cumin
- 1/4 Tsp Baking Soda
- 1/4 Tsp Black Pepper
- 1 Tbsp All-Purpose Flour/Besan
- Salt as Required
- Oil (for deep frying) (Fortune Health Refined Rice Bran Oil)
- For the Hummus
- 1 Cup Kabuli Chana/White Chickpeas (soaked overnight and cooked)
- 4 Cloves Garlic
- 1/2 Tsp Cumin Powder/Jeera)
- 1/2 Tsp Red Chilli Powder
- Salt to Taste
- 1/4 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil (Figaro)
- 2 Lemons (juiced)
- 1/4 Cup Water/Kabuli Chana Stock
- Coriander Leaves (finely chopped)
- For the Tahini
- 1/4 Cup Sesame Seeds/Til Seeds
- Water
- For the Pita Bread
- Water
- 1 Tsp Salt
- 1 Tbsp Sugar
- 1.5 Tsp Yeast
- Oil for Greasing
- 2 Cups Maida
- For the Lebanese Garlic Sauce
- 1 Cup Garlic Cloves
- 2 Tsp Salt
- 3 Cups Neutral Oil
- 1/2 Cup Lemon Juice
Preparation
Prep: 10 minutes
Cooking: 35 minutes
- For the Falafels, thoroughly rinse 1 cup chickpeas for a couple of times in water. Then soak them in enough water overnight or for 8 to 9 hours. Drain them well. Rinse them in running water. Drain very well again.
- Add them in a grinder jar or blender jar. Add the spices, seasonings and herbs – ¼ cup chopped onion, 1 tsp chopped garlic, 3 tbsp chopped coriander leaves, 2tbsp chopped mint leaves, ½ tsp red chilli powder, 1 tsp coriander powder, 1 tsp cumin powder, ¼ tsp black pepper and 1 tbsp all-purpose flour or besan.
- Also, add ½ tsp lemon juice and salt as per taste. Grind the mixture in short intervals of time. Scrape the sides of the mixture and add back in the jar. You should get a semi coarse texture. (Don’t add water while grinding. If you are unable to grind without water, then you can add 1 to 3 tbsp of water).
- Heat oil for deep frying in a kadai. Roll a small ball or patty from the mixture and place it in the oil. (If the mixture is too coarse, you won’t be able to shape them into balls. The consistency should be semi coarse so that you can shape them in balls or patties. You can even refrigerate the mixture for some hours or a couple of days).
- For the hummus, cook the kabuli chana/chickpeas in a pressure cooker for about 45 minutes or until very soft. Turn off the heat and allow the pressure to release naturally. Keep this aside.
- Next, to make the tahini/sesame paste, take a small mixer jar and add the sesame seeds and water. Blend to make a smooth paste. If you have store-bought tahini, then you can go ahead and use 2 tbsps of that.
- Into a mixer grinder, add cooked chickpeas, sesame paste/tahini, lemon juice, garlic, olive oil, cumin powder, red chilli powder and water/kabuli chana stock. Blend to get a smooth hummus and transfer the classic creamy hummus into a bowl when done. Check for the salt and lemon levels and adjust to suit your taste. Drizzle some olive oil and garnish with fresh coriander leaves.
- For the pita bread, mix maida with salt and keep aside. Take warm water in a cup and add yeast and sugar. Keep it aside for 5-6 minutes for the yeast to get activated (you will see froth/bubbles on top). Add this liquid to the flour mixture slowly, in parts and knead the entire liquid into the flour forming a dough. The dough will be a little sticky. Sprinkle some flour on your working surface and knead the dough for 2-3 minutes till it’s smooth.
- Place the dough in a large bowl coated with oil. Make sure the entire dough is coated with oil. Apply a cling sheet over the bowl and let the dough rise for 1-1.5 hours. The dough will almost double in size. Punch the dough to release all the air. Let the dough sit for 5 minutes. Divide into 6 equal portions and let the dough sit for another 10 minutes. Then roll each dough ball into a round flatbread and cook the pita over medium-high heat on tawa.
- For the Lebanese garlic sauce, grind garlic and salt into a fine mince. Then with the food processor running slowly, pour oil into it and once the garlic looks emulsified, increase the speed of pouring the oil. Alternate with ½ cup lemon juice until all the oil and lemon juice are incorporated. This will take about 15 minutes to complete. Transfer the sauce into a glass container, cover with a paper towel and keep in the fridge overnight.
- To assemble, cut the pita bread into half and spread the garlic sauce inside the pita pocket. Put some fresh vegetables like cucumber, tomato, lettuce, add falafel and top it with some Dijon mustard. Enjoy with Creamy Hummus and assorted veggies.
