Falafel with Tahini-lemon sauce

I heavily tweaked this from one of my favorite cookbooks called "The New Moosewood Cookbook". I served these last week for a dinner party and they seemed to be a big hit. The only problem was I didn't make enough of them since everyone seemed to want seconds. There is a lot of tweaking that you can do to any falafel recipe, so I suggest you start with this as a base, and then use whatever spices you like! Enjoy!

Ingredients (makes about 20 falafel):
3 1/2- 4 cups of chickpea (I sometimes use less if I want more intense flavor)
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 tblsp cumin
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup minced onion or 6 green onions, diced
1/4 cup of fresh parsley, chopped
1/4 cup of vegetable stock
3 tblsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp of cayenne (or more, to taste)
1/3 cup of flour (I use whole wheat) * For a crunchier taste, try 1/4 cup of cornmeal and an 1/8 cup of flour
1 or more dashes of hot sauce (optional)
oil for frying

Lemon-Tahini Sauce:
3/4 cup of tahini (you can also use cashew butter if you don't like the flavor of tahini)
1/4 cup of lemon juice
1/4 cup of water (or more if you like a thinner sauce)
1 garlic clove
1 tsp salt
pinch of cayenne (optional)

1) Combine all ingredients (except flour and oil) in a food processor. Blend until small crumbles are formed. Place in a large bowl and stir in flour.  You can let the batter sit for up to several days (actually the flavors combine more and more, tasting even better!)
2) Shape the dough into small balls (about 1-2 tblsp per ball).
3) Heat oil in a large skillet/ frying pan. Place balls 5 or 6 at a time in the pan, flattening with a fork. Let cook for about 8 minutes on each side. Refresh oil when needed.
4) For the tahini-lemon sauce, combine all ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Serve on top of falafel discs. 


To make the perfect falafel sandwich, I would suggest the following ingredients:
pita bread
tomato
cucumber
iceberg lettuce
vegan cheese
* my personal favorite? Dill pickles! So yummy!

1 comment:

  1. Anonymous10:53 AM

    Best falafel I've ever made. Thanks for the recipe!

    ReplyDelete