Herby falafel:
1 cup dried chickpeas, soaked overnight (don’t use tinned chickpeas!)
1/2 onion, roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1 cup packed fresh parsley
1 cup packed fresh coriander
1 tsp NOMU Ground Cumin
1/2 tsp NOMU Ground Coriander
1/2 tsp NOMU Ground Cinnamon
1/2 tsp NOMU Chilli Powder (optional)
1 tsp NOMU Sea Salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
3 tbsp flour
Vegetable oil, for frying
Tahini MAYU sauce:
1/2 cup NOMU MAYU
2 tbsp tahini
Squeeze of fresh lemon juice, to taste
1 small clove garlic, minced (optional)
NOMU Sea Salt, to taste
1-2 tbsp warm water
To serve:
6 pita breads, lightly toasted in a griddle pan
Mixed fresh herbs, like parsley, coriander, mint and dill
1 tub hummus
1/2 cucumber, thinly sliced
Place the chickpeas in a bowl and cover with water. Leave to soak for at least 6 hours, ideally overnight. Drain and pat dry.
For the falafel, place the onion and garlic in a food processor and blitz until finely chopped. Add the herbs and pulse until combined. Add the drained chickpeas, spices, salt and baking powder. Blitz until the chickpeas are broken down to the texture of course sand – the mixture must be fine enough to hold it’s shape, but you also want to keep some texture. Tip the mixture into a bowl and stir through the flour, adding more if needed for the mixture to hold together when shaped (see Tips). Cover and chill the mixture in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare the tahini MAYU. Whisk together the MAYU, tahini, lemon juice and garlic and season with Sea Salt. Drizzle in the warm water, a little at a time, and continue whisking until the sauce reaches a thick but pourable consistency.
Heat 0.5cm oil in a frying pan. While the oil is heating, shape the falafel mixture into small balls and flatten slightly into thick patties (see Tips).
Shallow fry the falafels in batches until golden and crisp on each side. Place on paper towel to absorb the excess oil and serve warm.
Slice your toasted pitas in half. Pick the herb leaves from their stems and toss together in a bowl. Fill your pita pockets with hummus, a small handful of the mixed herbs, cucumber slices and warm falafel, and drizzle with tahini MAYU sauce to finish.
Tips: Falafel mixture is notoriously crumbly so shaping the patties requires some patience. If you’re really struggling with the crumbliness, add a little more flour or pulse the mixture a few more times in your food processor to achieve a finer texture.
You can also cook your falafels in the air fryer at 180°C for about 14 minutes.
Falafels are best enjoyed fresh while still warm and crisp. This recipe makes a fair amount of falafel mixture, so if you don’t need it all you can freeze leftover shaped falafels for another day – they can be fried or baked straight from frozen.
Herby falafel:
1 cup dried chickpeas, soaked overnight (don’t use tinned chickpeas!)
1/2 onion, roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1 cup packed fresh parsley
1 cup packed fresh coriander
1 tsp NOMU Ground Cumin
1/2 tsp NOMU Ground Coriander
1/2 tsp NOMU Ground Cinnamon
1/2 tsp NOMU Chilli Powder (optional)
1 tsp NOMU Sea Salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
3 tbsp flour
Vegetable oil, for frying
Tahini MAYU sauce:
1/2 cup NOMU MAYU
2 tbsp tahini
Squeeze of fresh lemon juice, to taste
1 small clove garlic, minced (optional)
NOMU Sea Salt, to taste
1-2 tbsp warm water
To serve:
6 pita breads, lightly toasted in a griddle pan
Mixed fresh herbs, like parsley, coriander, mint and dill
1 tub hummus
1/2 cucumber, thinly sliced
Place the chickpeas in a bowl and cover with water. Leave to soak for at least 6 hours, ideally overnight. Drain and pat dry.
For the falafel, place the onion and garlic in a food processor and blitz until finely chopped. Add the herbs and pulse until combined. Add the drained chickpeas, spices, salt and baking powder. Blitz until the chickpeas are broken down to the texture of course sand – the mixture must be fine enough to hold it’s shape, but you also want to keep some texture. Tip the mixture into a bowl and stir through the flour, adding more if needed for the mixture to hold together when shaped (see Tips). Cover and chill the mixture in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare the tahini MAYU. Whisk together the MAYU, tahini, lemon juice and garlic and season with Sea Salt. Drizzle in the warm water, a little at a time, and continue whisking until the sauce reaches a thick but pourable consistency.
Heat 0.5cm oil in a frying pan. While the oil is heating, shape the falafel mixture into small balls and flatten slightly into thick patties (see Tips).
Shallow fry the falafels in batches until golden and crisp on each side. Place on paper towel to absorb the excess oil and serve warm.
Slice your toasted pitas in half. Pick the herb leaves from their stems and toss together in a bowl. Fill your pita pockets with hummus, a small handful of the mixed herbs, cucumber slices and warm falafel, and drizzle with tahini MAYU sauce to finish.
Tips: Falafel mixture is notoriously crumbly so shaping the patties requires some patience. If you’re really struggling with the crumbliness, add a little more flour or pulse the mixture a few more times in your food processor to achieve a finer texture.
You can also cook your falafels in the air fryer at 180°C for about 14 minutes.
Falafels are best enjoyed fresh while still warm and crisp. This recipe makes a fair amount of falafel mixture, so if you don’t need it all you can freeze leftover shaped falafels for another day – they can be fried or baked straight from frozen.
41 Aviation Crescent, Airport City, 7490,
Cape Town, South Africa
Tel: +27 21 386 2000
General Enquiries: hello@nomu.co.za
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