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RECIPE

Falafel Hakosem

The secret to crispy falafel is the batter, which is made up of ground, uncooked, soaked chickpeas.

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Serve the nuggets on a plate alongside tahini as an appetizer.

Recipe adapted from: On the Hummus Route by Ariel Rosenthal, Orly Pely-Bronsthein and Dan Alexander

  • Rinse chickpeas thoroughly. Place in a bowl, add water to cover by at least 5 cm) and soak in the refrigerator for 12 hours.
  • Drain and rinse the chickpeas.
  • Using a meat grinder, grind the chickpeas, parsley, cilantro, onion, garlic, and chilli pepper. Alternatively, use a food processor to process the ingredients in several batches, until the mixture is blended but still coarse.
  • The paste should be moist and slightly crumbly, and should barely hold together when you make a ball. Add water, a bit at a time, to achieve the desired texture if needed. Store, refrigerated, in an airtight container until ready to use, up to 12 hours.
  • Place the cumin, salt, coriander, sesame and nigella seeds, and baking soda in a small bowl and mix well.
  • Add the seasoning to the chickpea mixture and mix well. If the mixture is too dry, add water.
  • Heat 5cm of oil in a deep saucepan over a medium heat to 180°C. Using a falafel spoon or a small ice-cream scoop, divide the mixture into balls the size of a walnut and lightly press to flatten. Fry the falafel balls, 6 at a time, until golden brown all over, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a colander or a paper- towel-lined baking sheet to remove excess oil.
  • To make the tahini sauce, place the water, salt and citric acid in a small bowl and mix well. Gradually pour in the tahini, stirring continuously until the texture is smooth. Season to taste.
  • Serve the falafel warm with tahini sauce.
Makes 45 balls
Ingredients

500g dried chickpeas

1 bunch parsley, about a fistful

1 bunch cilantro, about a fistful

1 medium onion, coarsely chopped

2 garlic cloves

½ green chilli pepper, such as serrano, seeded

60 - 80ml water

½ tbsp ground cumin

1 tbsp salt

1 ¼ tsp ground coriander

1 tbsp sesame seeds

½ tbsp nigella seeds

1 tsp baking soda

Oil, for frying

For the tahini sauce:

120g raw tahini

80ml cold water

¼ tsp salt

1/3 tsp citric acid or 1 tsp lemon juice

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