Crispy Herb Falafel Pitta with Tahini Sauce
Inspired by techniques from Serious Eats and Yotam Ottolenghi.
Crisp, herby falafel made from soaked dried chickpeas, wrapped up with crunchy salad and a silky tahini sauce. A proper from-scratch recipe that avoids the common pitfall of using tinned chickpeas.
Always check the labels of the products you use.
Method
- 1
Soak the chickpeas. Place the dried chickpeas in a large bowl, cover with at least 10 cm of cold water — they will roughly triple in size — and leave to soak for 12-24 hours. Drain thoroughly and pat very dry. Raw soaked chickpeas give falafel their structure, since their uncooked starch binds the mixture as it fries; tinned chickpeas are already cooked and far too soft and wet, which is why they cause falafel to fall apart in the oil — the single most common mistake.
- 2
Process the mixture. Next, blitz the onion, garlic and herbs in a food processor until finely chopped, then add the drained chickpeas, spices and salt. Pulse in short bursts, scraping down the sides, until the mixture looks like coarse, damp sand and holds together when squeezed — not a smooth paste, which turns dense and greasy once fried. Chill for 30 minutes to firm up before shaping.
- 3
Test and bind. Pour the oil into the heavy pan to a depth of 3-4 cm and heat it to 175°C. Just before frying, stir the bicarbonate of soda through the mixture, which is what gives the inside its light, fluffy texture. Fry a single test ball; if it breaks apart in the oil, mix in the flour and test again before committing the rest of the batch.
- 4
Shape the falafel. With damp hands, shape the mixture into 20 balls of about 35 g each, flattening them slightly into thick patties. The flatter shape helps them cook through evenly without burning outside before the centre is done.
- 5
Fry until deep golden. With the oil back at 175°C, fry 5-6 falafel at a time for 3-4 minutes, turning once, until deep golden brown all over and bright green, steamy and cooked inside rather than pasty; drain on a rack and keep the oil between 170-180°C for the remaining batches.
- 6
Make the tahini sauce. For the tahini sauce, whisk together the tahini, lemon juice, garlic and salt — it will thicken and seize up at first. Keep whisking in the ice-cold water a little at a time until the sauce turns smooth, pale and pourable; the cold water hydrates the sesame proteins and forms a creamy emulsion with the tahini's oil.
- 7
Assemble the wraps. To assemble, warm the flatbreads briefly in a dry pan for 20-30 seconds on each side until pliable. Fill each one with shredded lettuce, diced tomato and cucumber, 5 lightly crushed falafel and a drizzle of tahini sauce, then roll tightly to serve.
Storage
The uncooked mixture (without bicarbonate of soda added) keeps in the fridge for up to 2 days, or shape it raw and freeze for up to 3 months, frying from frozen with 1 extra minute. Cooked falafel keep in the fridge for 3 days — re-crisp in the oven at 200°C (180°C fan) for 8-10 minutes until hot through. Tahini sauce keeps in the fridge for up to 4 days; it will thicken, so loosen with a little water before serving. Cool leftovers in a shallow container and refrigerate within 2 hours (within 1 hour on a day above 32°C).
EU nutrition claims
- Source of protein: 3.8 g protein per 100 kcal, about 15% of energy (needs ≥ 12%)
- Low saturated fat: 1 g saturated fat per 100 g, 3.3% of energy (limits ≤ 1.5 g and ≤ 10%)
- Low sugars: 4.6 g sugars per 100 g (limit ≤ 5 g)
- Source of fibre: 2 g fibre per 100 kcal (needs ≥ 1.5 g)
Per 100 g of the finished dish, worked out from the nutrition per serving and the lowest likely cooked weight (about 241 g a serving), so the true values are, if anything, lower. Thresholds from the Annex to EU Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006. How we decide
Free sugars
1.2 g per serving
2.4 % of the 50 g daily maximum · 4.8 % of the ideal 25 g
Free sugars under 50 g a day, ideally about 25 g, based on WHO free-sugar guidance (not endorsed by WHO). The share shown is the share of one serving. WHO
Equipment
- large bowl for soaking
- food processor
- heavy, deep frying pan or saucepan (24 cm)
- digital thermometer
- slotted spoon
- wire rack over a tray
Nutrition per serving (estimated values)
| Per serving | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 632 kcal |
| Protein | 23.8 g |
| Carbohydrate | 91.6 g |
| of which sugars | 11 g |
| of which free sugars | 1.2 g |
| Fat | 20.8 g |
| of which saturates | 2.3 g |
| Fibre | 12.7 g |
| Salt | 2.47 g |
Protein per 100 kcal
3.8 g High Protein needs ≥ 5 g (20% of energy)
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient values
