Email to Lucy Ashes      

Perfect Falafel

List of Ingredients

1 large onion, coarsely chopped
2 garlic cloves
4 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground pure chili
4 tsp flour
1 tsp salt
handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1 cup dried chickpeas, soaked overnight & cooked until tender
crumbs of 1-2 pitas if needed
sesame seeds for coating
oil for deep-frying
pitas for serving



Recipe

In food processor, grind the onion, garlic, cumin, chili, flour, salt, and parsley, and blend to a paste, add pita crumbs if needed.
With the machine running, add the chickpeas, process to a thick paste. The consistency of this paste can vary slightly, depending on the moisture in the onion, if the mixture is too wet, simply add bread crumbs and combine, if too dry, add a small amount of water while blending.
Roll the mixture between your hands into 1-inch balls and coat with sesame seeds. Fry the balls in hot oil until they are golden brown & crunchy.

Serve in pitas with lettuce, tomato and olive oil. Cucumber-yogurt is a traditional dressing.

Makes 4-6 servings