Homemade Falafels with Grilled Aubergine & Pickled Salad
- Prep Time: 60
- Cook Time: 15
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 4
- Category: Light meals
Description
A tasty Middle-Eastern vegetarian delight!
Ingredients
Falafels
250 g dried chickpeas, soaked for 24 hours
4 fat cloves garlic
4 spring onions, chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
¼ C (60 ml) chopped flat-leaf parsley
½ C (125 ml) chopped fresh coriander
1 tsp (5 ml) ground cumin
1 tsp (5 ml) ground coriander
2 ml chilli powder
3 ml bicarbonate of soda
½ tsp salt (2.5 ml)
Vegetable oil for deep-frying
Grilled aubergine
1 aubergine, thinly sliced into rings
Olive oil
Salt
Juice of 1 lemon
3 Tbsp (45 ml) olive oil
Freshly ground Black pepper
Pickled salad
1 red onion, thinly sliced
½ cucumber, seeded and sliced
1 baby cabbage, thinly sliced
¾ C (180 ml) red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp (30 ml) sugar
Instructions
Falafels
Drain the chickpeas and pat as dry as possible. Place the chickpeas, garlic, spring onions and onion in a food processor and pulse until smooth. Add the rest of the falafel ingredients and pulse until well combined and creamy. Spoon into a bowl, give the mixture a good knead with your hands, and then leave to rest for 20 minutes.
Divide the mixture into tablespoon-sized balls and chill for another 20 minutes before frying.
When ready to serve: Heat the oil and fry the falafels in batches for about 2 minutes, or until golden brown and cooked through. Drain on paper towels.
Serve hot or cold in pitas with readymade tzatziki and hummus, grilled aubergine and pickled salad.
Grilled aubergine
Rub the sliced aubergine with olive oil and salt. Heat a griddle pan and grill the slices until charred on both sides.
Transfer to a bowl and drizzle with lemon juice and olive oil. Season with black pepper.
Pickled salad
Combine all the salad ingredients and chill for as long as possible.
