I need to come clean up front and say that I'd never had falafel before making these, so had no idea what I was aiming to copy. I've since had falafel at an amazing Lebanese restaurant and would say that mine were close, but the shape was flatter, the consistency was smoother and more moist (less hush-puppy-ish), and the taste was more flavorful than those at the restaurant. Both were very good, but I think I'll stick with this version!
Falafel
1 large can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained
2-4 cloves garlic, crushed (or 1/2 tsp dried garlic)
2-4 Tbsp tahini (opt)
1 Tbsp olive oil
1-2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 cup flour
Purée all ingredients with stick blender/blender/food processor. Shape into balls and flatten slightly with palms.
Pour just enough oil to cover the bottom of a frying pan. Heat to med-high and cook falafel 'patties', flipping once browned. This method is much healthier than the traditional deep fried version, but the taste is still wonderful because of the garlic, lemon juice and tahini.
Serve falafel hot with:
bunch of parsley, rinsed and chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped
lemon slices
bunch of mint leaves
lettuce leaves
pita bread or Turkish bread
Taziki sauce
1/2 cucumber, peeled and chopped finely
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
Man, this looks GOOD!
ReplyDeleteYUM - I love falafel....I look forward to trying this. So, I thought I'd look for Greek yogurt in the grocery store (they don't even have it in TN). They have it here....it was $8 for a large container of it! Needless to say I was disappointed and did not buy it. I may do the $1.79 for the small container...Do you think if I made yogurt using some greek yogurt as a starter it would come out anything like it??
ReplyDeleteWish I was there to try your jam!
Love ya,
Kate