The World’s Best Falafel Recipe Comes From Egypt
—Not On Website
Ingredients
250g dried split fava beans, covered in cold water and soaked overnight
3 garlic cloves, crushed
½ leek, finely chopped
5 spring onions, finely chopped
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp gram flour
1 tbsp chopped coriander
1 tbsp chopped parsley
1 tsp ground cumin
A pinch of cayenne pepper
Salt and black pepper
Sesame seeds
Oil, for frying (rapeseed, rice bran or sunflower)
Yoghurt sauce
250ml plain yoghurt
3 tbsp tahini
1 garlic clove, crushed
Juice of ½ lemon
Salt and black pepper
2 tbsp chopped mint
3 tbsp olive oil
1 aubergine, cut into 1cm square dice
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
400g tin of chopped tomatoes
½ tsp sugar
A pinch of ground allspice
A pinch of cayenne pepper
A splash of balsamic vinegar
Salt and black pepper
Chopped coriander, mint or parsley
Directions
Serve with a simple minty yoghurt sauce and some flatbread. Photograph: Jill Mead/The Guardian
1 Drain the split fava beans well in a sieve or colander. Tip them into a food processor, along with the rest of the ingredients, except for the sesame seeds. Blitz the ingredients to a rough paste and tip it out on to a clean surface.
2 Divide the mixture into 12-16 pieces, each about the size of a small golf ball. Press them down with your fingers to make small patties.
3 Sprinkle around 3 tbsp sesame seeds on to a plate and coat each side of the falafels roughly with the seeds. Transfer them to the fridge for at least 10 minutes.
4 To cook the falafel, fill a small pan with oil to a depth of about 3cm. Heat the oil – it will be ready when a piece of bread dropped in sizzles and turns brown quickly. Turn the heat down and start to cook the falafel in batches. I cooked mine 4 at a time and kept them warm on a baking tray in a low oven. Cook each side for 2-3 minutes, or until it is golden brown then flip them over and fry the other side.
5 Serve with a minty yoghurt sauce (see below), flatbreads and spiced aubergine (recipes below).
1 Whisk all the ingredients together, then thin the sauce down to a suitable pouring consistency with a little cold water.
1 In a large frying pan, heat up the olive oil and saute the diced aubergine until golden brown. Drain on with a slotted spoon on to kitchen paper.
2 Add the sliced garlic to the remaining oil in the pan. Cook for a few minutes on a low heat. Before the garlic turns brown, add the tinned tomatoes with the sugar, allspice and cayenne.
3 Turn the heat up and reduce the sauce for about 10 minutes, or until very thick. Add the aubergine back to the pan. Heat through gently and add a splash of balsamic vinegar. Season well. Finish with fresh herbs.