Falafel with Spicy Herb Tahini Sauce

My mom didn’t eat outside food often, but when she did, it was falafel from Mamoun’s in NYC. She would bring home the falafel balls and make falafel pita sandwiches at home for dinner. There are few cuisines outside of Indian food my mom loves, but Levant cuisine is definitely one of them. This simple yet herbaceous falafel recipe is definitely something I’ll be sharing with my mom.

The key to this falafel recipe is to use dried chickpeas. I can not stress this enough. DO NOT USE CANNED CHICKPEAS. Canned chickpeas will give you a thick, dense falafel that is mushy, but dried chickpeas give you the perfect fluffy light texture! Adding baking soda also helps give you a light airy texture. The final mixture will stick together into a ball when you squeeze it into your palm. It’s a fairly lose mixture, so be gentle when shaping them. I like to use a tablespoon size scoop and use that to portion and pack the falafel mixture, then I gently squeeze the mixture in my palm and toss it between my hands gently squeezing the mixture into a round shape. 

If you don’t have all the herbs in this recipe on hand just add extra of whatever you do have. The key is to have at least 3 cups of fresh herbs in the end. It adds a gorgeous green color to the falafel and TONS of flavor! 

I served my falafel with a spicy herb tahini sauce that is ridiculously easy to make along with a simple cucumber, tomato, olive and dill pickle salad on top of fresh homemade pita. I used the pita recipe from Lion’s Bread but with an additional 1/4 cup of flour added to the dough. The next day for lunch I ended up just serving the falafel balls with the tahini sauce, and it’s the perfect snack or appetizer! 

As always if you decide to make this falafel, be sure to tag me on social media @milkandcardamom! 

Falafel with Spicy Herb Tahini Sauce

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• Author: Milk and Cardamom
• Total Time: 20 minutes
• Yield: 8 1x
• Diet: Vegetarian

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Description

Fluffy herbaceous falafels with a spicy green tahini sauce. Makes 30 falafel balls. (About 5-8 servings)

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

FALAFEL

• 1 1/4 cup (225 g) dried chickpeas
• 1 cup onion, diced
• 2/3 cup mint, roughly chopped
• 1 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
• 1 cup curly or flat parsley, roughly chopped
• 1/3 cup scallions, roughly chopped (about 6-8 scallions)
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 1/4 tsp ground coriander
• 1 1/2 tsp salt, plus more for seasoning
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 3 tbsp chickpea flour
• 2 to 3 cups (480 to 720ml) vegetable oil, for frying

SPICY HERB TAHINI SAUCE

• 1 cup tahini paste (white sesame seeds)
• 3/4 cup warm water
• 1/4 cup plain yogurt
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1 tsp serrano chili (or to taste), sliced thinly
• 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice, or more to taste
• 1/2 tsp salt, or more to taste

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Instructions

Falafel

1. Add chickpeas and enough water to a large bowl so that you have at least 3 inches of water above the chickpeas. Soak for 24 hours.
2. Drain the chickpeas and dry them in a salad spinner or by placing them on a clean tea towel and gently rubbing them dry.
3. Add chickpeas, onion, mint, cilantro, parsley, scallions, garlic, cumin, coriander, salt, black pepper, baking soda, lemon juice and chickpea flour to a food processor. Pulse the mixture 10 times and scrape down the bowl. Pulse another 15-20 times, scraping down the bowl every so often. You want the chickpeas pieces to be small, do NOT puree into a smooth mixture. You want the texture to look like the photo below.
4. Dump the mixture out into a bowl and mix well. Let the mixture sit for 15 minutes. Then take 1 1/2 tablespoons of the mixture and roll it into a ball by gently squeezing the mixture into your hands and rolling it into a ball. Place the falafel onto a greased plate. Repeat with the rest of the mixture.
5. Add enough oil to a cast-iron skillet so that it is 3/4 of the way up the sides. Heat the oil to 370°F. Add falafel balls and cook for 4 minutes, gently moving the falafel every few seconds. Make sure to keep the oil temperature at 360°F. Remove and drain the oil excess oil from the falafel and place on a paper-towel-lined plate. Season with salt immediately. Repeat with the rest of the falafels.
6. Serve with spicy herb tahini alone or on pita with cucumber, tomato, and pickles!

Spicy Herb Tahini Sauce

1. Add all the ingredients to a small blender and blend until smooth. Taste for seasoning and adjust salt, spice, and lemon to your taste.

Notes

Freezer instructions: if you want to freeze the falafel for future use, line a baking tray or plate with parchment paper and grease with a little bit of oil. Place your falafel balls onto the parchment paper and freeze overnight. Place the falafel into a freezer bag the next day. When you want to eat them just follow the same frying steps as above.

• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 5 mins
• Category: Main
• Cuisine: Middle Eastern

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