Falafel with Yogurt Tahini Sauce

Falafel is a typical Arabic street food. It consists of fried balls made from ground soaked chickpeas and spices, usually served with various sauces and pita bread. Essentially, it is a very healthy dish, although the fact that it is fried slightly diminishes its healthiness. However, if we skillfully avoid frying—by shaping the mixture into small patties and baking them in a pan or oven—we can create a truly healthy and delicious dish or snack that can liven up any gathering. A yogurt tahini sauce pairs excellently with these baked patties, perfect for dipping.

Details

  • Preparation Time: 15 minutes
  • Cooking Time: 15 minutes
  • Difficulty: 1
  • Spiciness: 0
  • Number of Servings: 4

Ingredients

  • 250 g Chickpea, raw

  • 3 pieces Onion, young

  • 3 pods Garlic, fresh

  • 0.25 bouquet Parsley, fresh

  • 0.25 teaspoons Spices, pepper, red or cayenne

  • 0.5 teaspoons Spices, cumin, seeds

  • 2 pinch Spices, coriander - seeds

  • pieces Salt, table

  • pieces Juice, lemon

  • 1 teaspoon Baking powder

  • pieces Wheat flour, white, multi-purpose

  • 50 ml Oil, olive

Sauce

  • 1 piece Yogurt, plain, from whole milk

  • 3 spoons Sesame butter, tahini

  • 2 spoons Juice, lemon

  • pieces Salt, table

Steps

  1. Roughly chop the garlic and parsley, peel the onion, and slice it into rings. Drain the soaked chickpeas well, transfer them to a food processor, and coarsely grind them. Add the garlic, parsley, onion, lemon juice, spices, baking soda (cream of tartar), and mix until you get a uniform and slightly sticky mixture. Test with your hands to see if the mixture holds together. If it falls apart, mix in one or two tablespoons of flour.

  2. Shape the prepared mixture into small patties using wet hands and bake them in a pan with heated oil. Cook them until they are nicely golden brown on both sides.

  3. While the patties are cooking, prepare the sauce. Place the yogurt in a bowl. Add lemon juice and tahini, and mix everything until smooth. If needed, add a little cold water to thin the sauce. Season with salt to taste, and optionally with pepper.

  4. Serve the baked chickpea patties on a large plate or platter. Offer the yogurt sauce and pita bread on the side.

Nutrition Information (Per 100g)

  • Calories: 239.2 kcal
  • Fat: 7.56 g
    • Saturated Fat: 1.06 g
  • Carbohydrates: 32.36 g
    • Sugars: 5.63 g
  • Protein: 10.38 g
  • Fiber: 8.09 g

Advice

The chickpea patties can also be baked in the oven. In this case, lightly grease them on both sides and bake at 180 degrees Celsius for 25 minutes. At the end, turn on the broiler and bake the patties for a few more minutes until they are nicely browned on top.