Falafel and yoghurt pitta
I’ve been cooking these for years; I love them. These little morsels are essentials for me, and are a regular lunch for both us adult Bears, and my little Cub. They are so flavourful, fragrant, substantial and vibrant, and they make me feel like I’m really taking care of my body. These little homemade beauties knock the socks of their shop-bought counterparts, and they’re so quick to put together that it’s definitely worth giving these a go.
These are super-easy to make and are brilliant to do en masse. I always make sure that I do a huge batch and sheet freeze – they are just the thing for lunch, with a pitta, a little salad and a little yogurt dip.
Falafel ingredients in the mixing bowl
These are always a hit when I make them for people, and they are my go-to lunch idea whenever I have friends with children round for a quick bite to eat; they have been universally adored. They’re my picnic staple; easily portable and low maintenance, they require no ovens or cutlery. If I’m ever invited to any kind of shared lunch, these are always gratefully received. In fact, I’m having a celebratory shared lunch with a lovely group of people next weekend, and this will be my offering.
It always amuses me that they are so well liked when they are based on such a humble ingredient: the chickpea. I don’t think I’d get nearly the same result if I made a chickpea salad and took it along to gatherings. But that is the wonderful alchemy of foods – very often, it’s not about the individual components, it’s about the finished article.
The finished article!
I serve this with pitta or flatbread, salad and sometimes hummous, if I fancy a double-chickpea situation. I always serve it with a cumin-mint yogurt – just mix 100g yogurt, 1tsp ground cumin, 1tbsp chopped mint and a squeeze of lemon. More often than not they’ll be a little drizzle of chilli sauce. They are wonderful with the aubergine puree I made to accompany my lamb keema; in fact, they’d be good with the flatbread too. And I love serving them as part of a mezze style affair – with herbs to stuff into the pittas, sweet little cherry tomatoes, sometimes some radishes, and salty olives. When I can find them I serve a little bowl of those wonderful pickled chillies that are so ubiquitous in the high street kebab shop. This delicious spread feels like a real celebration, and is just the ticket for when lunch needs to be just a little… more.
As these are so small they defrost in a barely an hour, which makes them ideal for preparing lunchboxes. They can be served warmed from the oven but they are equally delicious at room temperature, which makes them perfect for packed lunches or your work bento. As one would expect from the down-to-earth chickpea, they are reliable little things.
Mezze with falafel, pittas, olives, and salad
Ingredients
Makes approximately 50 falafel
I always make this large amount. To freeze, cover a baking tray with greaseproof paper, and then lay these out on top. Freeze them for 30 minutes to an hour, and then transfer to a box with a lid, or a freezer bag. Sheet freezing them like this ensures they don’t stick together and means you’ll be able to take as few or as many as you need when the time comes
- 3 cans chickpeas
- 1 red onion, grated
- 4 garlic cloves, grated
- 2tsp cumin seeds, lightly crushed
- 1tsp coriander seeds, lightly crushed
- 4tbsp chickpea flour
This is also known as gram flour, and is easily found in any Indian grocers. I use it a lot in Indian cookery, and it does feel more authentic to use it in this recipe. You could substitute with plain flour - ½tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 1 egg
- 1 large bunch coriander, finely chopped
- 1 large bunch parsley, finely chopped
- 50g white sesame seeds
- 50g kalonji seeds
These are also known as black onion seeds, or nigella seeds - 4tbsp rapeseed oil
Directions
- Using a hand blender or a food processor, blitz the chickpeas until they are a paste, but still with some texture. Transfer to a bowl.
- Add the onion, garlic, spices, flour, bicarb, egg and herbs. Mix well until well combined. Season with salt and pepper.
- Using your hand, shape into little patties of approximately 3cm.
- Mix the sesame seeds and kalonji seeds in a shallow bowl and lightly press the falafel into the seeds.
- Heat a tablespoon of the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Add the falafel in batches, cooking for 2-3 minutes on each side, until golden brown.
- Serve immediately with the accompaniments of your choice. Alternatively, leave to cool to room temperature and eat, or pack into your lunch box for delayed gratification. Either way, enjoy this wonderful use of the underrated chickpea.
