This food represents my childhood and one of the few ties I have to my Egyptian heritage. We only get to enjoy grandma’s falafels once or twice a year when we visit, and somehow hers always tastes so much better than mine but I still give it a crack. These are a little different to the falafels you are probably used to because they use fava beans instead of chickpeas, which means they are way more green and juicy in the center. Serve these crispy delights with pita bread and tahini sauce as a snack or with some pickled turnip, lettuce and tomato for a more filling meal.
Ingredients:
Falafels:
- 2 cups split fava beans (I buy the frozen ones)
- 1 spring onion, quartered
- ½ cup fresh parsley
- ½ cup fresh coriander
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 ½ tsp ground coriander
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 cup sesame seeds
- 1 cup vegetable oil for frying
- Pita bread
Tahini sauce:
- ½ cup tahini paste
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 garlic, minced
- ½ tsp cumin powder
- pinch of salt
- 2 tbsp water
Instructions:
- Blend the ingredients: in a food processor, combine the fava beans (allow the frozen beans to defrost and drain any water from them before adding to the processor), spring onion, parsley, cilantro, garlic, coriander, salt, and cumin. Process until the mixture has a dough-like consistency. If you find the dough is a bit wet, add in a few teaspoons of flour to bring it all together.
- Shape the falafel: shape the fava bean mixture into small balls and then squish down slightly so they are more disc like. Dip one side of of the disc into your sesame seeds.
- Fry the falafel: heat a large pot with oil over medium heat. Fry the falafels in batches until golden brown about 2-3 minutes per side. Remove from oil and lay on paper towels to absorb excess oil.
- Make dipping sauce: mix together all of the tahini sauce ingredients. You might find that the mixture starts to get clumpy but keep stirring and add a little more water until it becomes a runny consistency.
- Serve: cut a large pita bread into quarters and open them up into little pockets. Spread some tahini inside the pocket and fill with the falafel and enjoy.
Pro Tip:
Make sure when you purchase the fava beans, get the ones that are pre-split otherwise you will have to painstakingly remove each bean from its hard shell (been there, done that, do not recommend).