Falafel & Beetroot
This recipe was created for a client in India. The final dish was a little different to this, although the concept remains the same. A good falafel (in my opinion) is a bit 'chunky' so I like to blend half the mixture first and then pulse the rest to keep some chickpea texture. Another great way to serve this is with pomegranate when it is in season.
FALAFEL
INGREDIENTS
5 cups of dried chickpeas (soaked overnight)
2 onions
1 cup of fresh parsley
6 cloves of garlic
3 tablespoons of plain flour
3 tablespoons of salt
5 teaspoons of ground cumin
2 teaspoons of ground coriander
½ teaspoon of ground black pepper
½ teaspoon of chilli powder
½ teaspoon ground cardamom
Vegetable oil for deep frying
METHOD
- Fry onion and garlic until soft.
- Add spices and cook for a minute until toasted.
- Add to drained chickpeas in a blender and process until combined.
- Add oil or flour to the mix until you get your desired consistency. Test balls by frying one in oil.
BEETROOT DIP
INGREDIENTS
500g of beetroot
Olive oil
Salt flakes
Black pepper
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground allspice
1/2 tsp chilli powder
150g yoghurt
35ml pomegranate molasses
METHOD
- Puree until smooth
TO SERVE
- Roasted Beetroot ‘jewels’ cut into 1cm cubes
- Dehydrated beetroot ‘chips’ (can be found at supermarkets, or roast slices of beetroot very slow and low for several hours)
- Small orange tomatoes, cut into 4.
- Fresh coriander leaves.
