Falafel

1 cup dried chickpeas

1 tsp bicarbonate soda

2 garlic cloves

1 small onion

1 tbs coriander leaves, washed and chopped

1 tbs flat-leaf parsley, washed and chopped

1 tbs ground cumin

1/2 tsp dried mint

1 tsp ground coriander

vegetable oil for frying, grapeseed works

soak the chickpeas overnight in plenty of water and 1/2 tsp bicarbonate soda.

the next day, drain the chickpeas well, discard any skins.

put the chickpeas, 2 garlic cloves, onion, coriander, parsley, cumin, dried mint, ground coriander and remaining baking soda into a food processor and process until smooth and thoroughly combined.

transfer the mixture to a bowl and press down with the back of a spoon. cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight.

using a falafel scoop, make 20 falafel, rinsing the scoop each time with hot water. ( i like to drop these into oil directly from the falafel scoop to cook but there are many different methods of doing this.)

if you don’t have a scoop, take walnut-sized pieces of the mixture and shape them into oval patties with damp hands.

pour the vegetable oil into a saucepan to a depth of 10cm.

heat the oil on medium high heat. (the correct heat has been reached when a cube of bread dropped into the oil browns in 30 seconds.)

working in batches, carefully fry the falafel for 1-2 minutes until golden.

make sure the oil is brought back up to temperature between batches.

remove the falafel with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.

serve hot drizzled with homous and or tahini sauce.

tahini sauce recipe

1 clove garlic, grated

100g tahini

combine the garlic with the tahini and a dash of water. season with salt and pepper and set aside.