Falafel Balls with Tahini Sauce
Falafel Balls are a Middle Eastern specialty popular around the world. Fortunately they're easy to make at home and delicious with tahini sauce or hummus.
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Equipment
- metal portion scoops, 1¼ inch or 1¾ inch (get 3 sizes, you'll never be sorry!)
Ingredients
FALAFEL BALLS
- 1 lb dried chickpeas (454 g)
- 1 small onion, coarsely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 cup parsley, roughly chopped
- ½ cup cilantro, roughly chopped
- 1½ tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- ½ tablespoon coriander
- 1½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ¼ cup chickpea flour
- 2 tablespoon tahini
TAHINI SAUCE
- ¼ cup tahini
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- ¼ cup water
- oil for pan frying
Instructions
MAKE FALAFEL BALLS
- Place chickpeas in a large bowl and cover water. Soak overnight (12-24 hours). Choose a bowl large enough for them to triple in size and still be under water.
- Drain chickpeas and add to food processor bowl with onion and garlic.
- Process until roughly chopped (working in batches if needed).
- Add parsley, cilantro, lemon juice, cumin, coriander, salt, pepper and cayenne. Process until well combined and green in colour.
- Add chickpea flour and tahini. Process until evenly mixed.
- Using a 1¼-inch portion scoop drop balls of dough onto a tray. Roll into balls with your hands or flatten slightly with a flipper to make small disks. Makes about 36 falafel balls.
- Pan-fry, deep-fry or oven bake. Serve with tahini sauce. They freeze well.
TAHINI SAUCE
- Combine tahini, lemon juice, maple syrup and garlic in blender cup. With motor running slowly add water and blend until smooth. Set aside.
PAN-FRY METHOD - my preferred method
- Using 2 frying pans, heat 1-2 tablespoon oil in each pan over medium heat. Without crowding, fry falafel balls 3-4 minutes per side until nicely browned. Serve warm or room temperature.
DEEP-FRY METHOD
- Heat oil to 350°F. Fry in batches until nicely browned, turning as needed, about 5 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.
OVEN-BAKED METHOD
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Portion falafel balls directly onto a parchment lined baking tray. Bake 15 minutes, turn and bake another 10-15 minutes or until golden brown all over. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
More serving ideas:
Serve falafel balls with tahini sauce or your favourite hummus for a healthy, delicious appetizer.
Add falafel balls to an appetizer platter of Middle Eastern delights like hummus, tadziki, raw vegetables, olives and gluten free crackers.
Make a Middle Eastern Falafel Bowl with this tahini sauce, my Pomegranate Tahini Sauce or any variation of hummus. My favourite is this Lemony Hummus.