Mini Falafel Bites with Tahini Dip


Mini Falafel Bites with Tahini Dip



Falafel? What is that?... a few of you might wonder. Falafels are balls made of soaked, ground and seasoned chickpeas, fried to perfection. Any kid bought up in a middle eastern country cannot deny the fact that they do not know what a falafel is. It is the cheapest yet tastiest snack one can find in the streets of a middle eastern country. People have now innovated falafels into sandwiches, shawarmas etc. There are many variations of the same falafel with slight differences in the ingredients. Let me tell you I have come across only a few good cafeterias or restaurants that serve the best falafels, its either their falafels I like or their tahini dip. Never the both. Let me know in the comments below if you know one such place that serves the best falafels and dips in town.

And like I said Al Mallah, famous for their falafels, I love them, but not their dip, boooo! And I used to love one in Meena Bazar, Bur Dubai that cafe is no more, cannot recall the name of the cafe but they used to serve piping hot crispy falafels, I used to love it, now the building itself is demolished. Then there is this childhood favorite, again in Meena Bazar, The Persian Cafeteria/ Farisian Cafeteria, a very famous, small cafeteria, an old man, who I believe is the owner of the shop has been serving beautiful lip-smacking, tasty and cheap snacks including falafels and samosas. But I guess old age has struck him and the place is no more good. The cleanliness, the taste, everything is gone, it's sad. It was one of my favorite childhood hog spots. So since then, I have wanted to develop my own recipe for falafel. Be it Ramadan or any month, falafels are so flavorful yet an amazing snack you cannot get enough of. I always like small snacks, these are pop in your mouth sized hence the name mini falafel bites!

Let me not drag too much and let's dive into this crispy flavorsome snack!

INGREDIENTS

Falafel

  • 1 Cup Chick Peas (soaked overnight)
  • 1 small Red Onion, roughly chopped
  • 2 small Garlic cloves, minced
  • A handful of Coriander Leaves 
  • A few Mint leaves
  • 1 tsp Cumin seeds
  • 1 tsp Coriander seed
  • ½ tsp Paprika powder
  • 1 tsp Lemon Juice
  • 2 tbsp All-Purpose Flour
  • Salt, to taste
  • Vegetable Oil

Tahini Sauce

  • ¼ Cup Tahini
  • 1 tsp Lemon Juice
  • Pinch of salt
  • 2 tbsp Yogurt
  • Water, if required

INSTRUCTIONS

1) Drain the soaked chickpeas and rinse them, you should have about 3 cups now.

2) Working in two batches, add half of the chickpeas, coriander leaves, mint leaves, garlic, onion and to a food processor and blitz until you are left with a coarse paste that’s not completely smooth but has a granular texture. Be careful not to over blitz. Place the mixture in a bowl and repeat the process with the other half of the ingredients.

3) In a small dry skillet, add the cumin seeds and coriander seeds and toast until fragrant, then place them in a mortar and pestle and grind them until almost smooth, place in the bowl with the ground chickpea mixture along with the lemon juice, flour, and salt, mix until well combined.

4) Fill a deep bottomed pot with some vegetable oil and let the oil become hot enough.

5) Grab a bit of mixture and make bite size falafel balls, fry them in medium-high flame for 2-3 min each side until deeply golden brown and crispy, do not turn the balls immediately after you put the falafel balls in the oil.

6) Drain on a paper towel lined plate and continue with the rest.









For the sauce:

7) In a bowl, whisk together the tahini, lemon juice, yogurt, and salt. The tahini will start to seize and get thick and dry, this is normal so start adding the water a little at a time if required, only if the consistency is too thick.




Serving Suggestion: Serve with a hot cup of Sulaimani/ Black tea.



Notes:

  • Do not over blitz the chickpea mixture, the big granule chunks make the falafel crispy.
  • Let them cook in the oil properly on medium flame, as the insides have to get done evenly.
  • Use the stem part of coriander leaves in this recipe, no one will ever make out if they are leaves or stems. (Leaves can be used in various other dishes, no need to waste them as they get ground)
  • Be careful not to over toast the seeds.

Do try this recipe and don't forget to share your experience/feedback with me here in the comments or feel free to send me a mail. Also, do tag me at #taystedit if you try out my recipes on Facebook, Instagram etc so that I can see when you make it. ♡♡♡♡

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