Falafel with Lemon Tahini Dressing

Falafels became very popular in NYC in the 1990s and at one point it seemed as if every street corner had a falafel stand. There are good reasons for falafel’s popularity, not just in 1990s NY, but all over the world and especially in their native middle east and mediterranean regions. Chickpeas are nutritious, delicious and versatile. They are a mild pea that works well in many applications. They can be ground into flour, made into pizza crusts and the water they are boiled in can even be made into vegan meringue cookies. Turning the humble chickpea into the fried crispy balls known as falafel served with a Lemon Tahini Dressing is a perennial favorite in my house. And the nutritious chickpea surely cancels out any of the detrimental health effects of deep fat frying. 😉 The biggest challenge with this recipe is not drinking all the Lemon Tahini Dressing with a straw before all your falafels are done (it’s that good). Other than that, falafels are shockingly easy to make, as all great foods should be.

Click here to watch a video demonstration of this recipe on my "Simmer and Stir" YouTube channel.

Directions:

Mix together flour, salt, pepper, coriander, cumin, onion powder and baking powder in small bowl and set aside.
Drain, rinse and pat dry soaked chickpeas. Add chickpeas, parsley, fresh garlic and spice mix to food processor. Pulse until the mixture resembles cooked couscous and holds together when lightly pressed.
Transfer to a bowl and mix in finely diced onions. Pat down and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Start heating 3-4 inches of canola oil in a 4-5 quart dutch oven to 330° F.
Remove chilled falafel mix from refrigerator. Scoop 2 Tbsp of the mix into hands and gently form into balls. You should get 20 falafel balls in total. Place falafels on plate and cover with plastic wrap.
Fry balls 4-5 at a time for 5 min at 330° F until golden brown. Remove cooked falafels and drain excess oil on paper towel lined sheet pan or plate. Keep warm in a warm oven until ready to enjoy. Serve warm over salad or in a pita with sliced tomatoes and cucumber and Lemon Tahini Dressing!

Lemon Tahini Dressing

Combine tahini paste and boiling water in two cup bowl and whisk until smooth. (Boiling water prevents the tahini paste from seizing up.) Add lemon juice, granulated garlic and salt and stir to combine. Cover and chill until ready to use.

(Makes about 20 balls.)

Ingredients:

8 oz (224 grams) Dried Chickpeas (Sorted, rinsed and soaked 12-18 hours)
1 cup packed (20 grams) Fresh Parsley
30 grams (¼ cup) Finely Diced Onion
1 Clove Garlic, grated (about ½ tsp)
1 Tbsp (8 grams) All Purpose Flour
1 ¼ tsp Table Salt
½ tsp Fine Ground Pepper
½ tsp Ground Coriander
½ tsp Ground Cumin
½ tsp Onion Powder
1 ½ tsp Baking Powder
Canola Oil for frying

Lemon Tahini Dressing (Makes about 1 cup.)

120 grams Tahini Paste
120 grams Boiling Water
3 Tbsp Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice
⅛ tsp Granulated Garlic
1 tsp Table Salt

Falafels became very popular in NYC in the 1990s and at one point it seemed as if every street corner had a falafel stand. There are good reasons for falafel’s popularity, not just in 1990s NY, but all over the world and especially in their native middle east and mediterranean regions. Chickpeas are nutritious, delicious and versatile. They are a mild pea that works well in many applications. They can be ground into flour, made into pizza crusts and the water they are boiled in can even be made into vegan meringue cookies. Turning the humble chickpea into the fried crispy balls known as falafel served with a Lemon Tahini Dressing is a perennial favorite in my house. And the nutritious chickpea surely cancels out any of the detrimental health effects of deep fat frying. 😉 The biggest challenge with this recipe is not drinking all the Lemon Tahini Dressing with a straw before all your falafels are done (it’s that good). Other than that, falafels are shockingly easy to make, as all great foods should be.

Click here to watch a video demonstration of this recipe on my "Simmer and Stir" YouTube channel.

Simmer & Stir