Falafels are deep-fried patties made from chickpeas. They are second most common dish made of chickpeas, after hummus of course! Crispy and crunchy on the outside yet fluffy and herby on the inside, they have been around for more than 1000 years! Believed to have originated from Egypt, they are now a popular snack throughout the Arab world.
Falafels are traditionally served with tahini sauce which is a mixture of sesame seeds paste, yogurt and lemon juice.
Here is Chef Barakat’s version of the popular snack.
What you need:
Falafels
- 1 ½ Cup/320g dried chickpeas
- 1 Cup finely chopped onions
- 2 tbs finely chopped coriander
- 2 Tbs finely chopped parsley
- 2 tsp minced garlic
- 1 tsp cumin
- ¼ tsp baking powder
- Salt to taste
- Sunflower oil for frying
- 100g Sesame seeds (optional)
Tahini Sauce
- 100g sesame seeds paste
- 100g plain yogurt
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 Tbs lemon juice
- Salt to taste
What to do:
- Soak the chickpeas in plenty of cold water overnight. Use the colander to drain excess water.
- Put the chickpeas into a food processor and whiz a little. Add the cumin, salt, onions and baking powder. Whiz again until well combined. Finally, add the fresh herbs and whiz until chopped and well combined, but not pureed. Ensure the texture of the mixture is a little coarse.
- Chill the mixture for at least 30 minutes.
- While the mixture is chilling, make the tahini sauce by mixing all ingredients well. Keep refrigerated.
- Make small patties about 5-6cm using wet hands and dip them briefly in the sesame seeds if you prefer.
- Heat 5cm sunflower oil in a deep pan then fry the falafels in batches until golden and drain on kitchen paper. Serve with tahini sauce, toasted flatbreads and tabbouleh.
Foodie Tip: You can buy sesame seeds paste from Shoppers Supermarket.
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