Crispy Herb Falafel Pitas with Lemon Tahini

⏱ 45 min · Serves 4

Golden, craggy chickpea falafel packed with parsley and coriander, tucked into warm pitas with crunchy salad and a lemony tahini drizzle. Dried chickpeas are the secret to that shatteringly crisp crust, so start them soaking the night before.

Per serving: 735 kcal · 25.0g protein · 80.0g carbs · 36.0g fat

Ingredients

• 250g dried chickpeas, soaked 12-24 hours in plenty of cold water (do not cook)
• 1 small onion, roughly chopped
• 3 garlic cloves
• 30g flat-leaf parsley (leaves and thin stems)
• 20g fresh coriander
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 2 tbsp plain flour or chickpea flour
• 1 1/4 tsp fine salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp cayenne (optional)
• 700ml sunflower or rapeseed oil, for frying
• 4 large pita breads
• 4 tbsp tahini
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1 small garlic clove, grated
• 4-6 tbsp cold water
• 1/2 tsp salt, for the sauce
• 2 tomatoes, diced
• 1/4 cucumber, diced
• 1/4 red cabbage, finely shredded
• Pickled chilli or sliced pickles, to serve

Method

1. Drain the soaked chickpeas very well and pat dry with a tea towel. They should be plump but still firm.
2. Put chickpeas, onion, garlic, parsley, coriander, cumin, ground coriander, salt, pepper and cayenne in a food processor. Pulse in short bursts, scraping down, until you have a coarse couscous-like texture that clumps when squeezed. Don't puree it.
3. Tip into a bowl, stir in the flour and baking powder, then chill 15-20 minutes to firm up.
4. Meanwhile whisk the tahini, lemon juice, grated garlic and 1/2 tsp salt. Add cold water a tablespoon at a time until it is pourable and creamy (it will seize first, keep going).
5. Heat the oil in a deep saucepan to 170-175C. Shape the mix into 16 walnut-sized balls or small patties, squeezing firmly so they hold.
6. Fry in batches of 5-6 for 3-4 minutes, turning, until deep golden and crisp. Drain on kitchen paper and season with a pinch of salt. Test one first: if it falls apart, mix another tablespoon of flour into the batch.
7. Warm the pitas in a dry pan or toaster, split open and line with red cabbage, tomato and cucumber.
8. Stuff in 4 falafel per pita, crushing them slightly, drizzle generously with lemon tahini, add pickles and eat straight away while crisp.