Scale
Ingredients
- 1¾ cups dried chickpeas
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 small onion, quartered
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon ground cayenne
- ½ cup fresh parsley, stems and leaves, chopped
- ½ cup fresh cilantro, stems and leaves, chopped
- 1 lemon, juiced
- Sea salt and fresh black pepper
- 2 teaspoons bakings soda
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
For the Tahini Lemon Dressing
- ½ cup tahini
- 1 lemon, juiced
- Water (as needed)
- Salt and pepper (to taste)
For the Salad
- 2 medium-sized cucumber (diced)
- 2 tomatoes (diced)
- 10 leaves of Romaine lettuce
- Pita (optional)
Instructions
- Put the chickpeas and 1 teaspoon baking soda in a large bowl and cover with water by 3 or 4 inches—the beans will triple in volume as they soak. Soak for 12 to 24 hours, checking once or twice to see if you need to add more water to keep the beans submerged.
- Heat the oven to 375°F. Drain the chickpeas and transfer them to a food processor with the garlic, onion, cumin, cayenne, cilantro, parsley, 1 teaspoon of salt, fresh pepper, baking soda, and lemon juice. Pulse until everything is minced but not pureed, stopping the machine and scraping down the sides if necessary; add water tablespoon by tablespoon if necessary to allow the machine to do its work, but keep the mixture as dry as possible. (I didn’t need any water, thanks to the lemon juice.) Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding more salt, pepper, or cayenne as needed.
- Grease a large rimmed baking sheet with 2 tablespoons of the oil. Roll the bean mixture into 20 balls, about 1½ inches each, then flatten them into thick patties. Bake until golden all over, 10 to 15 minutes on each side.
- Meanwhile, whisk the tahini, juice from 1 lemon, and 1 teaspoon salt with ½ cup water in a small bowl until smooth. Taste and adjust the seasoning and serve the falafel drizzled with the sauce.
- Serve with salad of cucumber and tomato dressed with tahini sauce on lettuce leaves or in pita.
Notes
Adapted from Mark Bittman’s book “The VB6 Cookbook”