Crisp falafel made from raw soaked chickpeas with parsley, cilantro, and cumin, served with tahini sauce. Mint microgreens in the sauce and on top. Plus soaking time.
INGREDIENTS
- 250 g - dried chickpeas (1 1/4 cups)
- 1 - yellow onion (100 g)
- 3 cloves - garlic
- 30 g - parsley
- 20 g - cilantro
- 1 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp ground coriander, 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp - baking soda
- neutral oil for frying
- 60 g - tahini (1/4 cup)
- 2 tbsp - lemon juice
- 60-80 ml - cold water (4-5 tbsp)
- 15 g - mint microgreens
STEPS
- Soak the chickpeas in plenty of cold water for 12-24 hours. Drain and dry them well with a towel.
- Pulse the chickpeas, onion, garlic, parsley, cilantro, and spices in a food processor, scraping down the sides, until the mix looks like damp sand. Transfer to a bowl and chill for 30 minutes.
- For the sauce, whisk the tahini, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt, adding cold water until it's as thick as sour cream. Stir in a third of the mint microgreens, finely chopped.
- Heat 1 1/2 in (3-4 cm) of oil in a deep pot to 350°F (175°C). Stir the baking soda into the mix and shape walnut-sized balls, pressing lightly.
- Fry in batches of 5-6 for 3-4 minutes, until deep golden, and drain on paper towels.
- Serve hot with the tahini sauce, scattered with the rest of the mint microgreens.
Mint Microgreens with Falafel
Falafel are fried balls of ground chickpeas with onion, garlic, and plenty of herbs. They’re crisp outside and bright green and soft inside. Falafel is eaten with tahini sauce, vegetables, and pita, and fresh mint on the side cuts through the fried crust. Mint microgreens are more tender than mature mint leaves, and their menthol aroma is, if anything, even brighter and cleaner.
Stir some of the microgreens into the tahini sauce and scatter the rest over the finished falafel.
About the Ingredients
Mint microgreens: 15 g for four servings. The leaves are small and strong, so you won’t need more.
Chickpeas: dried and soaked only. Canned chickpeas are already cooked and make a wet mix that falls apart in the oil.
Herbs: parsley and cilantro, about 50 g together. They turn the inside green.
Oil: a neutral frying oil, about 1 1/2 in (3-4 cm) deep.
Technique: Raw Soaked Chickpeas
Soak dried chickpeas in plenty of cold water for 12-24 hours. They’ll double in size. Don’t cook them: pulse the raw soaked chickpeas in a food processor with onion, garlic, herbs, and spices until the mix looks like damp sand, stopping short of a puree. The starch in raw chickpeas holds the balls together in the oil without flour or egg. Add the baking soda right before frying; it keeps the centers fluffy.
Variations
- Baked: brush the balls with oil and bake at 400°F (200°C) for 25 minutes, turning halfway. The crust will be thinner.
- With fava beans: replace half the chickpeas with dried peeled fava beans, as in Egypt.
- In pita: falafel, tahini sauce, cucumber, tomato, and pickled onion in a pita pocket.
- With yogurt sauce: tzatziki instead of tahini sauce.
Serving and Storage
Serve hot with tahini sauce, pita, cucumbers, and pickled onion. The raw mix keeps in the fridge for a day, without the baking soda. Reheat cooked falafel in the oven; the microwave makes it soggy. Whether to wash microgreens before serving is covered in our wiki: should you wash microgreens.
Another chickpea dish with microgreens: hummus with chickpea microgreens.
CHEF'S TIPS
Fry one test ball first. If it falls apart, the mix is too wet: add 1-2 tbsp chickpea flour.
No thermometer? Dip a wooden spoon handle in the oil: if small bubbles form around it right away, the oil is ready.
