Crispy Herb Falafel Plate with Lemon Tahini and Quick Pickled Onion

⏱ 45 min · Serves 4

Golden, deeply herby falafel with a shatteringly crisp crust and a fluffy green middle, piled onto a plate with cool salad, garlicky tahini and sharp pink onions. Dried chickpeas are the secret \u start the soak the night before and the rest comes together in half an hour.

Per serving: 880 kcal · 27.0g protein · 92.0g carbs · 42.0g fat

Ingredients

• 250g dried chickpeas, soaked 12-24 hours in plenty of cold water (do not use tinned)
• 1 small onion, roughly chopped
• 4 garlic cloves
• 40g flat-leaf parsley, leaves and thin stems
• 30g fresh coriander, leaves and thin stems
• 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
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
• 1 litre sunflower or rapeseed oil, for frying
• 120g tahini
• Juice of 1 1/2 lemons
• 1 small garlic clove, grated
• 4-6 tbsp ice-cold water
• 1 red onion, very thinly sliced
• 3 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 tsp caster sugar
• 2 tomatoes, diced
• 1/2 cucumber, diced
• Handful of parsley, chopped
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 4 flatbreads or pittas, warmed
• Pickled chillies and sumac, to serve (optional)

Method

1. Drain the soaked chickpeas thoroughly and pat dry \u they should be swollen and split easily under a thumbnail, but still raw.
2. Toss the red onion slices with the vinegar, sugar and a pinch of salt in a small bowl. Leave to pickle while you cook, tossing now and then.
3. Whisk the tahini with the lemon juice and grated garlic \u it will seize. Add ice-cold water a tablespoon at a time until it loosens into a pourable, ivory sauce. Season with salt.
4. Blitz the chickpeas, onion, garlic, parsley and coriander in a food processor in pulses until it looks like coarse damp couscous, scraping down the sides. Don't let it become a paste.
5. Tip into a bowl and mix in the cumin, ground coriander, salt and cayenne. Chill 20 minutes if you have time, then stir through the baking powder and flour.
6. Squeeze a walnut-sized piece in your palm: it should hold. If it crumbles, add another tablespoon of flour. Shape into 16-18 balls or patties.
7. Heat the oil in a deep pan to 170C. Fry the falafel in batches of 5-6 for 3-4 minutes, turning, until dark golden and crisp. Drain on kitchen paper and salt lightly.
8. Toss the tomatoes, cucumber and parsley with the olive oil and a pinch of salt.
9. Build the plates: warm flatbread, salad, four falafel each, a generous drizzle of tahini, a tangle of pickled onion, and a dusting of sumac and chillies if using.