Falafel Salad

Piping hot falafels, crispy on the outside and vibrant green inside. The raw crunch of cucumber and the tang of tahini sauce balance the richness of the fry.

• Prep time: 30 min
• Cook time: 15 min
• Difficulty: Medium
• Calories: 998
• Protein: 46 g
• Carbs: 108 g
• Fat: 36 g

Ingredients

• 500 g Chickpea ( soaked 24h and drained )
• 1 piece Onion ( roughly chopped )
• 3 piece Garlic ( germ removed )
• 1 piece Flat-leaf parsley ( leaves only )
• 1 piece Fresh cilantro ( leaves only )
• 1 tbsp Cumin ground
• 2 tbsp Chickpea flour
• 500 ml Sunflower oil ( for frying )
• 250 g Solanum lycopersicum esculentum M. ( halved )
• 1 piece Cucumber ( diced )
• 1 piece Red onion ( finely sliced )
• 1 piece Mint fresh ( chopped )
• 4 tbsp Tahini
• 1 piece Citrus limon (L.) Burm. f. ( juiced )
• 3 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil
• 1 pinch Gray sea salt
• 250 g Dried chickpeas ( soaked for 24h in cold water )

Instructions

1. Prepare falafel base

   Pulse chickpeas (soaked 24h) with onion, garlic, parsley, and cilantro. Texture should be grainy like semolina, not a smooth purée.

2. Season and bind

   Add cumin, salt, and chickpea flour. Mix by hand. The mixture should hold together easily when pressed in your palm.

3. Fry the balls

   Form walnut-sized balls. Drop into 180°C oil. They are ready when the crust is dark brown and very firm.

4. Prep the salad

   Small dice the cucumber and red onion. Halve the cherry tomatoes. Roughly chop the mint.

5. Make tahini sauce

   Whisk tahini with lemon juice and a splash of water until the sauce coats the spoon smoothly.

Chef's tips

• Never cook your chickpeas before blending, or your falafels will turn into mush in the oil.
• Let the mixture rest for 30 minutes in the fridge before forming balls; they will hold together better.
• The oil must be hot: if it doesn't sizzle when you drop a bit of dough, wait longer.

Storage

Falafels keep for 2 days in the fridge but lose their crunch. Reheat in the oven, never in the microwave.