Falafel
Falafel – deep fried assorted lentils and herbs balls with flavored crunchy salad that is loaded with spicy garlicky red sauce and mild creamy tahini sauce.
Growing up in India I had not know about this classic Middle Eastern goodie. My mother in law introduced me to falafels after moved to the states. I have had many falafels at many places since I moved to the states but nothing comes close to my MIL’s homemade version. So here I am, sharing her version with my touch to it!!
You will find many falafel recipes on the web that uses chickpeas, easy and quick way of making it. This version DOES NOT use chickpeas. Yes, you read that right! This version has assorted lentils and loaded with herbs. That being said, it is high in fiber and protein! Of course these are deep fried, which takes away the healthy touch. However in my opinion, it is all about the balance!! These falafels have split green peas, whole mung beans & brown lentils (whole masoor). I like to add lots and lots of parsley & cilantro to the batter mix to add fiber and softness. The spices I use is the key, especially once secret ingredient, check out the full recipe below! Top it with crunchy salad and flavor it with spicy garlicky red pepper sauce and mild creamy tahini sauce.
These falafels are nice and crispy on the outside, while moist and soft from inside. Just the way they should be!!I I make these falafel balls in big batch and then freeze them. Of course the texture changes just a bit when you freeze and re-heat them in oven or air-frier vs they are freshly deep fried. But it does not change the flavors! I highly recommend you deep frying them for the best results!
The red and white sauces are super easy to make and requires minimal ingredients. I make them as part of my meal prep and refrigerate them in mason jar for upto 5-6 days. Use these sauces for falafel or mix them to use it as your salad dressing. I like to coat the crunchy veggie mix I use along with falafel with these sauces, top it with falafel balls and eat it like a salad to make it low carb. While my husband and kids stuff all the goodies in gluten-free pita pockets and enjoy it that way! Skip feta cheese in the salad mix if you want to make it completely plant based!
I highly recommend you try this recipe exactly how I mentioned below to get the best results! Add my easy and quick TRICOLOR QUINOA TABBOULEH as a side and enjoy a healthy delicious Middle Eastern meal!! If you end up making it and liking it, tag me on Instagram @myvegetarianroots or leave me a comment below. I would love to hear your feedback!
Happy & Healthy Eating!
Falafel
Ingredients
Falafel Balls
- ½ cup Split Green Peas Lentils
- ½ cup Whole Masoor
- ½ cup Whole Green Mung Beans
- 2½ cup Fresh Pasrley tightly packed
- 1½ cup Fresh Cilantro tightly packed
- 1½ tbsp Whole Dry Coriander Seeds coarsely ground
- 1½ tsp Salt mix it in the batter right before deep frying
- 2 Serrano
- 5 clove Garlic medium sized cloves
- 2 inch Ginger Root
- ½ tsp Baking Soda mix it in the batter right before deep frying
Creamy Tahini Sauce
- ¾ cup Tahini Paste
- ½ tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Black Pepper Powder
- 1 med Lemon Juice juice of medium sized lemon
- 1 cup Cold Water
Red Pepper Sauce
- 2 large Fresh Dark Red Peppers seeds/stem removed
- 4 Whole Dry Red Chilis, the spicy kind soaked in warm water for 10 min
- 5 cloves Garlic med-large sized cloves
- 1½ tsp Salt
Mixed Veggies/Salad
- ½ head Fresh Lettuce chopped
- 2 cup Fresh Arugula
- 1 cup Cherry Tomatoes cut in halves
- 2 tbsp Pickled Capers
- ¼ cup Feta Cheese
- 2 cup Chopped Cucumber
- ¼ cup Pickled Onions optional
- 1 tsp Oregano
- Any other preferred crunchy veggies
- ¼ cup Creamy Tahini Sauce mentioned above
Other
- 10 Pita Pockets more or less, any preferred size
- Oil to deep fry
Instructions
Making Falafel
- Mix all lentils mentioned above, wash them few times and soak them for 6-8 hours.
- Once soaked for 6-8 hours, drain all the water our and grind them along with clean cilantro & parsley, serrano, garlic, ginger, coarsely ground coriander seeds.
- Try not to use any or too much water to grind it. The batter should be just a little grainy and thick so that you can form balls to deep fry. Please know that the falafel mix will start loosing moisture as time goes. I recommend you deep frying soon after grinding
- Right before you are ready to deep fry, mix in salt and baking soda.
- Make a bit smaller than golf ball sized balls, deep fry them in hot oil on medium heat until all sides are nicely brown and crispy.
Make Creamy Tahini Sauce
- Simply blend everything listed under "Creamy Tahini Sauce". Blend it to creamy sauce consistency. Please know that this sauce will thicken as time goes. Take the sauce out in a mason jar and use the same blender without washing it to make the red sauce. Can be stored in a mason jar inside the fridge for upto 4-5 days.
Make Spicy Red Garlicky Sauce
- Soak hot whole dry red chili in warm water for 10-15 min.
- Use the same unwashed blender you made the tahini sauce in to make red sauce. Red peppers have very high water content, using a tiny bit of creamy while sauce that is stuck in the blender will help the consistency of red sauce!
- Blend soaked hot whole dry red chili (without water), dark fresh red peppers (without seeds & stems), salt and garlic. Can be stored in a mason jar inside the fridge for upto 4-5 days.
Assemble
- Mix everything listed under "Mixed Veggies/Salad". Make sure all the veggies are well coated with Creamy Tahini Sauce. Use more or less tahini sauce as you like!
- Warm pita pocket for few second. Pack it half way through with "Mixed Veggies/Salad". Drizzle spicy red sauce, top it with falafel. Drizzle white & red sauces. Top it with more "Mixed Veggies/Salad" and enjoy!!