Tuesday, July 14, 2015

Falafel

Falafel with Tzatziki Dip



Ground Chickpeas mixed with spices and shallow fried and served with a nice dipping sauce makes a yummy veggie snack. It can also be served with Pita bread to make a whole meal.

Ingredients: Quantity
Chickpeas* 1 cup
Onions finely Chopped 1/4 cup
Garlic minced 2 nos
Pepper Powder** 1/2 tsp
Chili Powder** 1 tsp
Coriander Powder 1 tsp
Cumin Powder 1/2 tsp
Salt To taste
Cilantro and/or Parsley 2 tbsp
Baking Powder 1/2 tsp
All purpose flour*** 1 tbsp + extra for dusting
Vegetable Oil For shallow frying
For Tzatziki Dip: Quantity
Cucumber Peeled & grated and water Strained 1 nos
Greek Yogurt/Thick Yogurt 1/2 cup
Sour Cream 1/2 cup
Dill Leaves 2 tbsp
Salt To taste
Garlic Powder 1/2 tsp
Lemon Juice 1-2 tsp


Preparation:
1) Soak the chickpeas for a couple of hours or overnight and pressure cook until well done. Smash them into a coarse to fine paste, without any large pieces.
2) Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan and add onions and garlic and sauté until the onions turn translucent.
3) Add the sautéed onions and garlic into the smashed chickpeas and add the spices, chili powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, pepper powder and chopped cilantro/parsley.
4) Add one tbsp of all purpose flour and baking soda. Adjust salt as required. Make equal sized balls of the prepared chickpeas and shape into patties and dust it with all purpose flour
5) **** Meanwhile heat enough oil to shallow fry in a pan and shallow fry the prepared patties in the medium hot oil for couple of min's and turn sides and let it cook for a couple of more min's (2-4 min's approximately)#.
6) Serve hot with Tzatziki Dipping sauce.
7) For the Tzatziki dipping sauce, just mix all the ingredients mentioned in Tzatziki Dip.

Shallow Fry

Note: * You can replace the dry chickpeas and the cooking process with one can chickpeas.
** Adjust chili powder and pepper powder according to your taste.
*** You can use breadcrumbs and egg wash instead of all purpose flour esp. it is good when oven roasted.
**** You also oven roast instead of shallow frying. Bake at 375°F for 12-15 min's on each side and broil for 1-2 min's.
# Shallow fry timing varies on the size of the patties. Experiment with one or two and check if they are cooked well.