Homemade Falafel Salad with Sesame Tahini Dressing
I love chickpeas in every shape and form, but falafel makes the top of the list! Most people wait to enjoy falafels at the store, but they are pretty simple to make in the comfort of your own home. All you need are dried chickpeas, fresh herbs and some spices. A food processor for appliances will make this a lot easier. I used this one from Hamilton Beach.
I'm not going to assume everyone reading this knows what falafel is or where it originated! As a Southern African, I was introduced as a young adult on the streets of New York, from one of the many mouthwatering Halal trucks parked on the side of the road or one of the shawarma stores littered throughout Lower Manhattan. Falafel balls are deep-fried fritters that came out of the Middle-East, and can also be made using fava or broad beans. They can be eaten as they are, on top of a salad or bed of vegetables, but typically stuffed in a pita or flatbread pocket.
Served with what you may ask? Tahini-based sauces, derived from sesame seeds.
This small women-owned business makes natural vinaigrettes and dressings. Their Sesame Tahini is not only one of my favourites but goes perfectly with my homemade version of falafel; I recommend giving it a try; it will give a lot of other dishes a toasty tang. It has two awards for a reason: a 2018 Good Food Award and a 2018 SOFI Award! No junk, just delicious flavour to compliment the food! This recipe calls for a condiment you can find at your local grocery store or online at dressitupdressing.com.
Ingredients
2 cups dried and (soaked overnight) chickpeas--don't use canned!
1/2 teaspoon baking soda (to help soften the chickpeas)
1/2 cup fresh dill
1 cup fresh parsley
6 fresh garlic cloves
1/2 medium yellow onion
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 jalapeno
2 tablespoons toasted sriracha sesame seeds
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon fenugreek powder
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon coriander
Peanut oil for frying
Salad:
1/2 bag arugula
1 cup purple cabbage, shredded
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes
1/2 large seedless cucumber
Sesame oil
2-4 scoops roasted red pepper hummus
1-2 avocadoes
Sriracha mayo
Wasabi sauce
Sesame tahini vinaigrette
Instructions
You'll need to start this recipe the day before to soften the pulses. Soak the dried chickpeas by submerging them in water with baking soda. Drain when ready to use.
Combine the chickpeas, dill, parsley, garlic, onion, sesame seeds, jalapeno, spices, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Transfer to a food processor, then pulse or blend ib high until thick paste forms.
Heat the oil in a frying pot—mix in the baking powder then cook the falafel in batches at 350F until brown and crunchy. Use a cookie dough scooper for uniform balls. To freeze the remaining dough, allow scoops to harden, then transfer to a zip lock bag for up to 3 months.
In a large serving bowl for the salad, combine the cabbage and arugula, drizzle lightly with sesame oil and toss. Slice and overlay the tomatoes, avocado, hummus, and falafel, then drizzle with the sesame tahini dressing and a bit of sriracha drizzle. Serve!
The recipe makes about 24 falafel balls; salad serves 3-4. Freeze the falafel dough once scooped into balls to fry another time.
Spicy Falafel with Cucumber Avocado Salad
Falafel is so satisfying to eat I don't know what it is. Well, maybe I do. Then again I'm biased because I absolutely love chickpeas and if you're reading this you probably are too!
The original recipe is said to have come out of Egypt. This was before it spread to the rest of North Africa and the Middle East where it is now a staple. I had my first encounter with falafel, folded into some pita bread with tomato, lettuce, cucumber, onion and sauce in New York City - I fell in love ever since!
Since they are on the dry side, it's a must that a sauce accompanies the falafel. I used tzatziki to compliment the refreshing cucumber and avocado salad, but tahini salad is another popular condiment you can use too.
The most important thing to know about this recipe is the use of dried beans.
Even though you soak them and they need to be drained beforehand, this helps with the integrity of the falafel balls versus using canned chickpeas. The same goes for hummus. I've read anecdotes of people drying canned peas in the oven if that is all they have, so it is not impossible.
Ingredients
2 cups dried chickpeas (soaked overnight then drained)
1/2 medium onion, finely minced
1 tablespoon roasted sriracha sesame seeds
2 tablespoons garlic, minced
1/2 cup parsley, finely chopped
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon coriander
1 small habanero, finely minced
1 tablespoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 tablespoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 egg (optional)
Salad:
1 large cucumber, thinly sliced and quartered
1 large avocado, sliced
3 teaspoons olive oil
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
Tzatziki sauce
1 1/2 cups sprouts
Instructions
In a food processor, pulse the chickpeas, cumin, coriander, lemon juice, salt, pepper, chilli powder, paprika, parsley, onion, and garlic. A thick paste you can mold should form. If it seems too crumbly, add the egg to help bind everything together.
You can bake or fry falafel depending on your preference. If you like a crunchy exterior, frying will make that happen! I used an air fryer and cooked the falafel balls at 400F for 15 minutes, flipping them halfway after spraying with olive oil. You can also bake them for 30 minutes, turning them over after 15 minutes. Roll your falafel into smoothened balls - about two scoops with a cookie scoop and your hands.
Prepare your salad. In a bowl, toss the cucumber, avocado and sprouts in the olive oil and lemon, season with salt and pepper. Layout the salad on each plate, and add 1-2 teaspoons of tzatziki on top. Set your cooked falafel on top of the tzatziki and eat immediately or warmed.
Serves 2-3 people!
Tip: if your falafel base seems a bit wet and you struggle to form balls, bake in a 350F oven for about 5-7 minutes to dry it out a bit, but don't overcook.