Falafel with Hummus (Non deep Fried)

Falafel with Hummus (Non deep Fried)

Falafel or Falāfil in Arabic is typically a Middle Eastern food, commonly served with Hummus and pita bread. It is a traditional food and is common throughout the Middle East but also famous in the west.  It is a deep fried ball or patty made with ground chick peas or Garbanzo beans along with some herbs and spices. Hummus is a dip that is served along with the falafels. Hummus is also made with chick peas, boiled and blended with tahini paste and some spices.

Chick peas have great nutritional value, as they are rich in proteins, vitamins and are high in fibre. Falafels made with chick peas is fast catching up in the west as a replacement to meat and is a great option for the vegetarians and vegans as a rich source of protein. In India, it is not a usual dish in the menu of multi cuisine restaurants. One has to go to a Middle Eastern specialty restaurant where it is served as a snack as well as a full meal along with pickled salads and pita bread.

Falafels are traditionally deep fried, but since I am a health freak too, I thought of making this non deep fried version. It turned out exceptionally good and guilt free too. Since it is not deep fried, it has significantly less oil in comparison to the fried version, and yet it is crispy on the outside and soft and juicy from inside. I found it equally delicious and full of nutrients. Hummus traditionally is made using tahini paste, but I used toasted sesame seeds and olive oil instead to blend along with the chick peas.

So let’s get started with this interesting recipe.

Preparation Time: 9 hours

Cooking Time: 40 minutes

Servings: 3-4 Persons

For the Falafels

Ingredients:

2 cups chickpeas/ Kabuli Chana/ Garbanzo Beans

1 medium onion, finely chopped

A few sprigs of coriander leaves

3-4 gloves garlic

1 tsp coriander powder

1 tsp cumin powder

½ tsp crushed pepper

½ tsp chili powder

1 tbsp lemon juice

2 tbsp All purpose flour/ Maida

¼ tsp baking soda

4 tbsp oil

Salt to taste

Instructions:

Step 1: Preparation

• Wash and soak the chick peas in water for about 6 to 8 hours or overnight. Soaking the chick peas is very important to get a good blend of spices and the peas.
• In a blender jar, add the soaked chick peas discarding all the water. Also add the chopped onions, coriander leaves, garlic, coriander powder, cumin powder, chili powder, crushed pepper, lemon juice and salt to taste. 
• In a food processer or mixer grinder, coarsely blend the above mixture without adding any water. Scrape the sides of the blender jar with a spoon in small intervals to get a uniformly ground mixture. 
• Transfer the ground mixture to a mixing bowl and add all purpose flour or maida, ¼ tsp baking soda and mix well with a spoon or spatula.

Step 2: Frying in a paniyaram pan or appam patra

• Heat a paniyaram pan or appam patra and add little oil in all the cavities.
• Make balls out of the ground mixture and place each ball in the cavities and cover with the lid of the pan. Fry it on a low flame or else the balls with burn.
• Occasionally, flip the balls and fry from all sides until crisp and done.
• Remove on a plate lined with tissue paper to absorb any excess oil.

For the Hummus

Ingredients:

1 cup soaked chick peas

3 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

1 clove garlic

1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

¼ teaspoon red chili powder

½ tsp freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons water, as needed

Instructions:

• Boil the soaked chick peas in a pressure cooker until softly cooked.
• Cool it down to room temperature and transfer to a blender jar along with roasted sesame seeds, garlic, fresh lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, red chili powder, freshly ground black pepper and water as needed.
• Blend everything into a smooth paste. Scrape the sides of the blender in between to gather all the ingredients back to the blender to get a uniform and smooth paste without any lumps. Transfer the contents to a serving bowl and drizzle some olive oil on top and garnish with a pinch of chili powder or red paprika powder.
• Serve the falafels and hummus and enjoy this delicious snack. To make it a meal, serve with pita bread and sliced, tomato, onion or cucumber or any other salad.
• I will share the recipe of pita bread in my next post.

Tips:

• Always use freshly soaked chick peas for a good texture and authentic taste for the falafel balls.
• If tahini paste is not available, toasted sesame seeds and olive oil can be used for hummus just like I did in my recipe.
• For more authentic taste, falafels can be deep fried too.

Do try this recipe and let me know how much you liked it in the comments. I hope you will love as much as I did!

Enjoy!