Unlike the name suggests, falafel is a deep-fried Middle Eastern dish, made from ground broad beans and chickpeas. The fillings are often seasoned with herbs and spices and topped with tzatziki, hummus or a yogurt-based sauce.
Ground chickpeas
Using ground chickpeas for falafel is a delicious, healthy way to enjoy your favorite Middle Eastern food. These falafel are great as a snack or as a topping for salads and veggies.
You can make these patties in your kitchen. They’re easy to prepare, they’re packed with flavor, and they’re healthy. You can make them baked or fried. They’re best eaten with a creamy tahini sauce.
To make homemade falafel, you need a pound of dried chickpeas. You can soak them overnight or you can rinse and process them yourself. You’ll also need a food processor and a few spices.
Combine the chickpeas with the rest of the ingredients in your food processor. You should include some salt and cumin. Chopped garlic and onion should also be added. You can also add herbs to change the flavor. You might consider adding cilantro, parsley, or even green chile pepper.
Herbs and spices
Adding herbs and spices to falafel is a great way to add a lot of flavor. Fresh herbs like cilantro are especially tasty. They add a bright green color and a zingy flavor. These flavors pair perfectly with the nutty taste of cumin.
Coriander is another delicious herb that pairs well with cumin. Coriander has a light, citrus flavor. It’s an excellent source of iron and has been shown to help relieve irritable bowel syndrome.
Dill is also an excellent herb to add to the falafel mix. Dill adds a flavor that is both sweet and licorice-like. This herb also adds a bright green hue to the falafel.
Fresh garlic is another essential ingredient in the falafel recipe. Garlic is a great source of vitamin B6, manganese, and selenium. A clove of garlic contains four calories and 2% of vitamin B6.
Tahini
Whether you make your own falafel, buy them at a market, or use a store-bought version, you can make your falafel taste even better by serving it with tahini sauce. Tahini is a condiment made of ground sesame seeds. It’s a traditional Middle Eastern condiment that is also used in South Caucus countries and Levantine cuisine.
To make tahini sauce, you need to start by toasting sesame seeds. Then, you can add the seeds to a blender and blend them until you have a paste. Once the paste is made, you can add water or other ingredients to make the paste thinner or thicker.
For the best results, you should make tahini from 100% sesame seeds. The seeds can be raw or toasted. When you toast the seeds, they release their oils and have a roasted aroma. You can also add some lemon juice to the process for added flavor.
Yogurt-based sauces
Using yogurt-based sauces to dunk your falafel is a great way to jazz up your falafel. This sauce is easy to make, and can be enjoyed with your falafel in a number of ways. You can even wrap your falafel in a flatbread for a light, healthy meal.
You can also make a more complicated sauce that involves more than yogurt. One of my favorite ways to dip falafel is with spicy brava sauce. You can also make a yogurt-based sauce using tahini, a nutty, creamy sauce made from ground sesame seeds. The sauce can also be made using pumpkin puree.
The most basic method of making a yogurt-based sauce is to mix the yogurt with a garlic paste. You can also use a bit of toasted sesame oil. You can then stir in a few chopped mint leaves.
Dipping into hummus or tzatziki
Whether you are looking for an appetizer or a snack, dipping falafel into hummus or tzatziki is the perfect way to add some Mediterranean flavor to your meal. Both of these dips are easy to make, and they are perfect for dipping into pita bread.
To make falafel, you’ll need chickpeas. Chickpeas are high in protein and fiber, and you can substitute other beans to make a lower-calorie dip. You’ll need a food processor to blend the chickpeas into a paste. You can also soak the chickpeas in water for a day. If you do not have a food processor, you can mash the chickpeas with a fork or potato masher.
You can also make a salad with tahini, a condiment made from toasted sesame seeds. Tahini can be used in sandwiches, and you can also use it to top a falafel sandwich. You can find tahini at your local grocery store.
