Falafel with Tahini Lemon Sauce Recipe

Remember the free spirit bloggers who baked with all sorts of egg substitutes last month? Well this month, I got to pick the theme and I went with savory party appetizers that can be cooked up in bulk.



Of course I picked the theme fully intending to deep-fry, why do you ask? My initial idea was to go with cocktail samosas but had to ditch it for falafel because the shaping and filling of cocktail samosas is not exactly quick and this had to be a recipe that can easily be multiplied, leaving you time to make an effort to look good for your party.



The Egyptian version of falafel is flatter,bigger, and greener because of the use of Lima beans. I know because I had that in Egypt. Sorry for showing off.



My version however, is the kind you would get in your local Middle Eastern restaurant. Its flavourful, easy to make, and absolutely delicious, not to mention photogenic.

Falafel Recipe
Makes 16 small-ish falafels (easily doubles or triples)

Ingredients:
1/2 cup dry chickpeas, soaked overnight or atleast 10 hours (will be about 1 cup when soaked through)
1 tsp cumin seeds / jeera
1/2 tsp coriander powder / dhania
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 tsp minced or crushed garlic (about 4-5 cloves)
One bunch fresh coriander leaves / cilantro, chopped
1 small red onion, chopped fine
1-2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
2-3 tbsp plain flour (or crumbs from 2 slices of stale bread)
Salt to taste

Oil to deep fry

How I Made It:

1. Drain the soaked chickpeas on kitchen towels or leave them in a colander with a suspended base. Its important to drain out as much moisture as possible.

2. Transfer the chickpeas with rest of the ingredients to a food processor or mixer jar and grind until smooth and dry. You should be able to shape them easily into small discs. If the mixture is too moist or sticky at this stage, which it shouldn't be, add more flour but don't be liberal.

3. Shape into small discs and deep fry on medium heat until dark brown on both sides. Make sure you regulate the flame, otherwise the outside will get burned or cooked too soon and the inside will be raw.

4. Drain on kitchen towels and serve with tahini lemon sauce (recipe below).

Tahini Lemon Sauce Recipe

I didn't use any particular recipe or measurement for this. I thought of making hummus to go with with the falafel but didn't remember to soak enough chickpeas. I had fresh tahini that my ex-boss, brought from his home town Lebanon so it would've been a sin not to use it in some way. Thank you Charif!

Here's what I did to make the sauce:

Mix 3 tbsp of tahini, 1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice, a pinch of paprika (or maybe pepper?), salt to taste and enough water to make a smooth paste. You can add some roasted garlic pieces to this but I didn't have the patience time patience.

Dip the falafels in and enjoy.

Special thanks to Joann for the super cute sauce bowls she gave me when I 

went brunching to her place!

Notes:

- canned and drained chickpeas should work as well but I read in many places that freshly soaked ones taste better. I have used canned chickpeas for hummus and liked it just fine so it should definitely work for falafels too

- if you plan to make this for a party, grind the ingredients and leave it in the fridge. You can take it out in advance the next day, shape up quickly (doesn't take more than 4 seconds per falafel, I timed myself) and fry up in batches.

- falafels taste just fine when gone cold too and the sauce can hold its own until a party winds down too. Just make sure you add water if the sauce thickens up on you.

Here's what the other Free Spirit Bloggers cooked up for this month's theme!

DK
Lataji
Siri
Mads
Deepti
Anu

Aloo Channa / Pressure Cooker Potato Chickpeas Curry Recipe

This is a one-pot, or rather, one-pressure-cooker side dish that can be put together in a jiffy. Its a weeknight dish for me and the nights I make any kind of side dish using just the pressure cooker, my entire cooking gets done in less than 30 mins.

The only preparation you need to do in advance is to wash and soak the chickpeas either overnight or before you leave for work so that its all soaked and ready when you get back and need to make dinner.

Confession: on some nights, I get lazy on the way back in the train and drag TH to have dinner outside. On those nights, I come back, drain the soaked chickpeas and stick it in the fridge. It can be stored like that for a week until you are ready to make what you want with it.

Go ahead, I promise the chickpeas won't feel bad or anything.



Aloo Channa in the Pressure Cooker - One Pot Dish
Serves 2

Ingredients:
1 cup soaked chickpeas
1 large potato, cubed
1 onion, sliced
1 tomato, sliced
1 tsp tomato paste (optional but gives depth to the gravy)
1 tsp ginger garlic paste
1/2 tsp jeera / cumin
1 tsp coriander powder / dhania powder / malli podi
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp red chilli powder
A pinch of turmeric powder
A pinch of amchoor / dry mango powder (optional)
2 tsp oil
1/4 tsp mustard seeds
A few curry leaves
Salt to taste

How I Made It:

1. Heat oil in a pressure cooker pan and add the mustard seeds and curry leaves. When the seeds pop, add the jeera and sliced onions. Fry until transparent.

2. Next add all the powders - red chilli powder, coriander, turmeric, garam masala and amchoor if using, and fry for 30 seconds.

3. Top it off with the ginger garlic paste and fry for another 30 seconds. Then add the chopped tomatoes and stir around until well combined.

4. Throw in the cubed potatoes, chickpeas, about 1.5 cups water and some salt and pressure cook for 3-4 whistles. The idea is to cook it until the potatoes are mushy and the chickpeas are cooked well. Open up the pan and if you find that the curry is too watery (which shouldn't be the case normally), boil it for a while until the curry is thick enough. Check salt and remove from fire.



Serve hot with rotis. Goes well with pulao and even plain rice.

Kadalai Sundal Recipe / Chickpeas Sundal Recipe

This is a Navaratri special recipe. I have never paid much attention to sundal before in my life but one night, I this sudden craving for it, maybe because there was a bowl of soaked and pressure cooked chickpeas in the fridge and I knew this would be done in a jiffy.

Its great as a snack, in addition to being a decent side dish with rice and some gravy. Of course, you can also bookmark it if you are looking for Navaratri Special Recipes.

Sundal Recipe
Serves 2

What I Used:

1 cup chickpeas / kabooli channa, soaked overnight
2 tbsp grated coconut
2 tsp oil
1/4 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp urad dal / ulutham paruppu / husked and split black gram
2-3 dry red chillies
A few curry leaves
Salt to taste

How I Made It:

1. Pressure cook the chickpeas for 3-4 whistles (until its cooked but still holds its shape). 3 whistles is a safer bit although in Singapore I feel pressure cooking takes more time.

2. Heat the oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds. When they start to pop, add the urad dal, red chillies each broken into two and the curry leaves.

3. Once the urad dal turns a golden brown, add the drained chickpeas, coconut and salt. Mix well on medium flame for 3-4 minutes.

4. Serve warm as is or with rice and side dish.

Check out Mochakkottai Sundal Recipe I had posted earlier.

------------------------------------ Note ------------------------------------------

I am reverting to the old template for a while because I am figuring out some technical issues with the new one. A lot of users are not able to reach me through Google Search and I am trying to see if its the issue with the new template or just something else amiss. Will change back in a week's time or so.

Hummus Recipe - Quick & Healthy Spread

I discovered pita bread and hummus when I was in Google Hyderabad. We had a salad bar with all these crunchy, fresh vegetables and a bowl of creamy hummus with warm, oven-fresh pita bread right next to it. It wasn't really a popular choice since our lunch buffet had much more appealing dishes but practically every other day, I used to make a pita sandwich with some lettuce, tomato slices, cucumber and a generous spread of hummus.


Those were the days that I could get hummus without going through the trouble of making it myself but now things are different. So last weekend, I set out to the task myself. I started with a Google Search for 'hummus recipe' and was quite surprised to see a site dedicated only to hummus! It was mentioned there that making hummus takes practise even if you are following recipes religiously. I beg to differ. My hummus came out really well and though next time I may blend it until creamy, I still didn't mind the coarse texture of it this time.

One ingredient you will surely need is good-quality Tahini. I got mine from NTUC FairPrice in Singapore. I don't remember the brand name now but tahini is definitely available here in Singapore.

If you want to prepare the hummus without tahini then you can avoid it, which will of course affect the flavour but the end product is still creamy and delicious. Sometimes, kids are allergic to tahini so follow the hummus recipe without tahini.

What I Used:

Chickpeas - 1 cup, washed and soaked in water overnight or atleast 8 hours
Tahini - 1/2 cup
Lemon juice - 1 tbsp
Garlic - 1/2 tsp, minced
Cumin / jeera / jeerakam - 1/2 tsp, crushed (I used cumin powder)
Salt - to taste
Olive oil / sesame oil - 1 tbsp

How I Made It:

1. Wash the soaked chickpeas well and drain water completely.

2. Pressure cook until soft (3 whistles) in sufficient water. If you don't have a pressure cooker, transfer the chickpeas to a pot and add water until it is well covered. Cook until the chickpeas are soft and mash easily. This should take about 30-40 mins. Do not add salt while cooking the chickpeas as this will harden them.

3. Drain the water used for chickpeas and keep aside. Blend the chickpeas until smooth, adding little water if too thick.

4. Add the rest of the ingredients (except oil) and continue to blend until you get a smooth, thick paste that is of spreading consistency. If too thick, add very little water at a time from the water used to cook the chickpeas.

5. Make sure you mix the oil in before serving!

I didn't buy pita bread so I served it with some home made white bread (recipe coming soon!)

I am sending this hummus recipe to Ramya's Chutney/Dip Mania and MS's JFI - Chickpeas.

Kadala Kozhambu / Chickpeas in Coconut Milk

Today is a my mom-in-law's b'day and I wanted to do something for her that would be meaningful to both of us. Before I go any further I have to say how lovely she is to me, like my own mom :)

She is an amazing cook too and this is one of the first recipes I learnt from her since TH loves it. Its simple and looks mild but is amazingly flavourful, just like all her dishes are. She is super fast in the kitchen and is normally done cooking for the day by the time I am up (err.. which is around 7 in the morning :D).

So here is to her and her special day. Happy B'day Amma :)

Chickpeas / Kabuli Chana

What I Used (Serves 2-3 people):

Chickpeas/Kabuli Chana - 1/2 cup

Thick coconut milk - 3/4 cup

Tamarind - one marble sized ball (or 2tbsp if you are using paste)

Sambar cum rasam powder - 1 tbsp - I told you its versatile, and has more uses than just in sambar and rasam ;)

- if using your own sambar powder, use 1/2 tsp and 1/2 tsp red chilli powder.

Turmeric powder - a pinch

Hing/Asafoetida/Kayam - 1/2 tsp

Salt - to taste

Oil and mustard seeds - for tempering

How I Made It:

1. Soak the chickpeas overnight in 3 cups water. Pressure cook and keep aside.

2. Use 1/2 cup warm water and blend the tamarind with your hand to extract the juice. If using paste, dilute it in 1/2 cup water.

3. Heat a pan and bring the tamarind water to boil. Add turmeric powder, hing, salt and the sambar powder to this. Sim and let it boil for 10 minutes.

4. Add the cooked chickpeas and boil for another 10 mins.

5. Remove from fire, add coconut milk and mix well. Adjust salt.

6. Heat some oil in a small saucepan and temper some mustard seeds. While hot, pour on the above gravy and mix well. You can even use some curry leaves at this stage.

Kadala Kuzhambu

Serve hot with rice. TH loves it with parippu usili.

This special dish goes to Sra's Event - Legume Love Affair, conceptualized by Susan.

Kala Channa

My dad loves chickpeas, both the kabuli (white) version and the kala (black) variety. Though I am more a fan of kabuli chana and the yummy curry my mom makes with it, I am told that the black variety (nadan kadala in malayalam) is more nutritious.

More research on chickpeas gave me some nice-to-know nutrition facts about it. "One hundred grams of mature boiled chickpeas contains 164 calories, 2.6 grams of fat (of which only 0.27 grams is saturated), 7.6 grams of dietary fiber and 8.9 grams of protein. Chickpeas also provide dietary calcium (49-53 mg/100 g), with some sources citing the garbanzo's calcium content as about the same as yogurt and close to milk. " - Wikipedia


Here is the recipe for authentic (as far as I could made it :D) Kala Chana. I recently bought a small packet of Caraway seeds, since I thought it would be nice to cook up something nice with them. Kala Chana is the first recipe in that series.

What I Used:

Black chickpeas (kala chana) - 1/2 cup
Onions - 2, chopped
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
Green chillies – 2, slit
Hing (kayam) – one pinch
Turmeric – 1 pinch
Cardamom – 2, coarsely ground.
Caraway seeds (shahjeera) – 2 tsp
Coriander powder (mallipodi) – 2 tsp
Oil – 1 tbsp
Salt – to taste

How I Made It:

1. Soak the chickpeas in twice its amount of water overnight. I leave it for atleast 12 hours since they are tougher to cook than most other lentils.

2. Next day, pressure cook the chickpeas with 4 cups water. I let the whistle sound 4 times atleast. Let it cool.

3. Heat oil in a pan and add the shahjeera and cardamom. Fry for 15 seconds and then add the coriander powder.

4. Now add the ginger garlic paste and when it turns slightly brown, add the onions and green chillies. (Note that in most of South Indian cooking, we add the onions first but this recipe is slightly different in that).

5. Let the onions turn brown by keeping fire on sim and adding water occasionally to let it mix well with the spices and to prevent burning. Continue doing this for about 15 minutes until you have a mush of caramelized onions that smell out of this world!

6. Now its time to add the chickpeas. Drain them and add it to the above onion mixture to cook for another 3-4 minutes. If you find the gravy going too dry, add the water used to boil the chickpeas, very little at a time. Also adjust salt at this stage. Remember that the gravy is supposed to be a bit thick.

7. Once the chickpeas have mixed well with the gravy and the oil starts leaving the sides of the pan, remove from fire and serve hot with phulkas.

This is not one of those easy recipes I usually post, but is well worth the effort. If you like the gravy tangy, add one cup blanched and pureed tomatoes. Suitable for a cooking-oriented weekend :)

Special Kadala Curry/Chickpeas with Coriander and Star Anise

The kadala curry at home always tastes different when my mom makes it. Its a mix of a lot of cuisines, I am sure, but the end result is always yummy. This one is from my archives, a recipe that I always wanted to document. I pulled it out cuz of Ziah's request for a Kadala Curry so this post is dedicated to her :)

What I Used:

Serves 2

Chickpeas/Kabuli Channa/Velutha Kadala - 1 cup
Coriander - 4 tbsp
Coconut - 4 tbsp
Red chillies - 4
Garlic - 6 pods
Star anise - 2

For tempering:

Oil, mustard seeds, curry leaves.

How I Made It:

1. The chickpeas should be soaked in water overnight. Pressure cook this for 2 whistles, with some turmeric and salt.

2. Roast the coriander, garlic, red chillies, star anise and coconut in a non-stick pan till it emits a nice smell and turns golden (about 5-7 minutes). Let it cool.

3. Grind the roasted masala to a coarse paste with very little water.

4. Heat oil, let the mustard seeds crackle. Add curry leaves and some more red chillies if you like the curry spicy. Add the masala paste to this and stir for a minute. Add the cooked chick peas and adjust water and salt at this stage.

Serve hot with puttu/appam/dosa/roti.

This is my entry for Sunita's Think Spice..Think Star Anise Event. The recipe is from my archives, otherwise I would have included the star anise in the pic somewhere :)