Spinach Falafel
Falafel is a deep-fried spiced chickpea “meatball.” It’s another one of those traditional street foods that you can’t go a month without having. It’s crisp on the outside, soft on the inside, and belongs in a pita (the latter is my passionate belief). Green tahini is simply tahini that’s mixed with an insane amount of chopped parsley to give it that green hue and herby flavor. To continue with the green theme, I added spinach to the falafel for some added vitamin K. The children will never know it’s in there. . . .
Ingredients
For the spinach falafel
- 3/4 cup dried chickpeas*
- 1/2 tablespoon baking soda
- 4 cups (5 ounces) raw spinach leaves
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled
- 1/2 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- Mild vegetable oil, for frying
For the green tahini
- 2/3 cup sesame paste (tahini)
- 1/2 cup water
- 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, plus more to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 1 1/2 cups plus 1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley
For serving
- Pita bread, (optional)
Instructions
Make the spinach falafel
- In a colander, rinse the dried chickpeas and place them in a large stainless steel bowl or pot. Add enough water to cover by 2 inches (5 cm). Stir in 1/2 tablespoon of baking soda and leave them to soak for 8 to 10 hours or overnight.
- In a large food processor, pulse the spinach until coarsely chopped.
- Drain the chickpeas well then add to the food processor along with the cilantro, garlic, cumin, salt, flour, and baking powder. Pulse until all the mixture is finely chopped but not puréed into hummus, about 1 minute. Place the mixture in a bowl and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
Make the green tahini
- In a medium bowl, whisk the sesame paste, water, garlic, lemon juice, and salt together until smooth and runny. If you find that it is too thick, add a bit more water. Stir in the parsley, adjust seasoning to taste with salt and lemon juice. Alternately, you can whiz all the tahini ingredients together in a food processor.
- Using about 2 tablespoons of the falafel mixture for each one, form the falafel into thick patties about 2 inches (5 cm) in diameter.
☞ TESTER TIP: If you have a falafel scoop, or even an ice-cream scoop, use it to form your patties and carefully drop them into the oil as they are formed.
- Set a large skillet over medium-high heat and pour in enough oil to reach a depth of 1/4-inch (6-mm). Once the oil reaches 325°F (160°C), carefully fry the falafel in batches of 4 or 5 until golden brown, 1 1/2 to 3 minutes per side. Move to a wire rack and season with salt.
- Serve the falafel piled on a plate or tucked inside pita bread with a generous amount of green tahini.
Notes
*Can I substitute canned chickpeas in falafel?
You might be tempted to just crack open a can, instead of doing the whole overnight soak-and-sleep thing, but we're going to caution you not to. Canned chickpeas are very high in moisture and that's not ideal for the frying process. Using the dried ones will ensure that you don't end up with wet and soggy falafel that falls to bits before you can get them in your pitas.Nutrition
Serving: 1portion | Calories: 722kcal | Carbohydrates: 66g | Protein: 33g | Fat: 43g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Sodium: 1122mg | Fiber: 23g | Sugar: 8g