IFTAR TREAT - FALAFEL AND TAHINI SAUCE

Kalau yang biasa makan vadai, falafel ini lebih kurang sama..cuma bezanya terletak pada kacang yang digunakan. Vadai menggunakan dhal manakala falafel menggunakan kacang kuda. Kacang kuda direndam semalaman dan diproses menggunakan processor. Jika suka berempah sedikit boleh masukkan daun pasley atau daun ketumbar.

Fafel ini sedap dimakan bersama tahini sos, boleh juga dimasukkan pada pita bread, dijadikan burger, tortilla wraps ataupun dijadikan salad. Makanan harian timur tengah ini juga merupakan makanan IFTAR yang digemari. Untuk resipi falafel kali ini saya gunakan resipi dari -Noreen Hiskey 100% tenyata terasa rempahnya dan sedap.

Falafel / Tahini Sos

• 1 cup raw dried chickpeas, soaked overnight
• 1 cup chopped flat leaf parsley
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
• 2-3 cloves garlic
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• ½ tsp black pepper
• ½ tsp hot paprika
• Salt to taste
• 1 tsp lemon zest + juice of half lemon
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• Sesame seeds to sprinkle on.
• Vegetable oil to deep fry or 2-3 tbsp olive oil to pan fry

Instructions

1. Soak 1 cup of raw dried chickpeas/garbanzo beans* (*see note below) overnight in plenty of water (atleast twice or thrice its volume of water). They will double in size as they soak.
2. Drain and rinse the chickpeas (garbanzo beans).Add them to the food processor.
3. Peel and roughly chop the garlic cloves, roughly chop a cup of fresh flat leaf parsley and 1/2 a cup of cilantro leaves.
4. Add the garlic, parsley, cilantro, spices (1 tsp corriander powder, 1 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp paprika), salt (according to taste), 1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper, 1 tsp lemon zest, the juice of half the lemon and 1 tbsp of olive oil in the food processor along with the chickpeas/garbanzo beans.
5. Pulse the food processor about 8-10 times, shaking it until all the ingredients are well combined and grainy but not completely smooth.
6. Place the mixture in a bowl and using your hands, measure out the mixture to form small balls. I like to go a step further and cupping your hands flatten out the balls into more of a little patty shape. (It’s important to note that the mixture isn’t the easiest to shape and falls apart fairly easily. You really have to handle it delicately and compress it to make sure there are no cracks and it doesn’t break up when you go to fry them)
7. Place the shaped patties on a non-stick or lightly greased cookie sheet. Sprinkle the falafels lightly with toasted or non-toasted sesame seeds (optional) and gently press them into the patties to make them stick.
8. Now you can cook them either by deep frying in hot vegetable oil for a few minutes until they turn a light golden brown (the traditional way and recommended by me for the best tasting falafels that are crispy on the outside but delicately moist and delicious as you bite into them) or you can add a tablespoon or so to a frying pan and pan sear the patties (I’d recommend flattening them a little more than if you were deep frying them) on both sides to get a crispy top and bottom.
9. Serve hot as is with hummus or tahini sauce for dipping, or you can serve it in a pita as a wrap with hummus, turkish salad, pickles and drizzled with tahini sauce.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup tahini paste
• 1/2 tbsp honey
• 2-3 tbsp lemon juice
• salt to taste
• sprinkle of cayenne powder
• 2-3 tbsp water

Instructions

Simply mix together 1/4 cup of tahini paste, 1/2 tbsp of honey, 2-3 tbsp lemon juice, salt to taste, a light sprinkling of cayenne powder and 2-3 tbsp of water. Stir it all well and adjust the consistency of the sauce with more or less water and Ta-Da! It’s done! Drizzle over your falafels in a pita wrap….mmmm.

By Noreen Hiskey

 

RECIPE SOURCE:  PATYSKITCHEN

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