Falafel Pita Pocket

Falafel is a deep-fried ball or patty made from ground chickpeas. It is a traditional Middle Eastern food, commonly served in a pita, which acts as a pocket, or wrapped in a flatbread. I made two versions of the falafel, fried and baked.  these tender falafels are perfect for tucking inside fluffy pita pockets or piled high on a salad.

Yeilds: 25 small falafel

Ingredients to make the falafel:

1 cup - dry chickpea 

1 onion - chopped

1 cup - loosely packed coriander leaves

3 cloves - garlic

1 tsp - coriander powder

1 tsp -  cumin powder

½ tsp -  chili powder

½ tsp - pepper, crushed

1 tbsp - lemon juice

2 tbsp -  plain flour / maida

¼ tsp baking soda

oil for deep frying

salt to taste

Directions: 

• Soak the chickpea overnight with enough water.
• Drain the chickpeas and add them to a food processor along with the coriander, onion, garlic, salt, coriander powder, cumin powder, chili powder, pepper, lemon juice and baking powder. 
• Process the mixture without adding any water, just until the ingredients are minced but not pureed, scraping down the sides as needed. 
• Roll the ground mixture into small balls. If the dough is watery in consistency add a tbsp of maida and mix well.
• Deep fry the balls in hot oil over medium heat.
• Once the falafel turns golden brown, drain off on to the kitchen paper.
• Serve falafel hot with hummus or stuffed in pita pockets.
• Do not over-process the mixture or the falafel will be too loose. 

Baking Instructions:

• Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Squeeze the falafel mixture into 1.5-inch balls then flatten them slightly so they are the shape of patties. Arrange the falafel on the lined baking sheet and brush the tops of them with the some olive oil. Bake the falafel for 15 minutes, flip them once then bake them an additional 10 minutes until they are golden brown. 

Serving suggestions:
Serve the falafel in pita bread with tahini sauce and veggies, or add them to a salad as a healthy, protein-packed topping. I used store bought wholemeal pita bread and toasted them. For the stuffing I used tahini sauce, some chipotle Tabasco, yogurt, feta cheese, mixed veggies and fresh coriander. Served with hummus on the side. 

Recipe adapted from hebbarskitchen and justataste.