Falafel Sandwich.

After eating the delicious falafel at this place,I wanted to try it at home.So began the search of authentic recipes.I scoured throught many blogs as well as other search engines and I found that most of the ingredients in the recipes were similar…..just different propotions.So here I tried to bring my own taste to the foreground and added many of my own spices  to the mix.Most of the recipes featured cooked chickpeas and cumin as their main ingredients.I tried both the cooked as well as uncooked chickpeas version and the uncooked chickpeas tasted far superior. I even ventured and tried to make the tahini sauce at home.I dont know if the taste is authentic but it went well with the salad and falafels.I purchased whole wheat pita bread from Trader Joe’s. 

Tahini sauce

 1 cup Greek style yogurt
A little less than 1 cup sesame seeds.
2 tbsp olive oil
A pinch of salt
1 tsp sugar

Blend together yogurt,sesame seeds and olive oil to a coarse paste.You can add a little water if you find it difficult to blend.Transfer this to a bowl.Take a spoon and mix well.Add salt and sugar.Mix well and refrigerate.

Falafels

2 cups chickpeas(Garbanzo beans)
1 and half cup chopped red onion
5 cloves of garlic chopped
1 tbsp cayenne pepper or kashmiri chili powder
2 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp finely chopped cilantro
2 tbsp finely chopped parsely
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup flour

Soak chickpeas overnight in a large bowl with enough water to cover them by atleast 3 to 4 inches.Soak for atleast 12 hours.

Drain these and put them in a food processor or blender.I used the blender as I dont have a food processor.Add onions,garlic,cayenne pepper,cumin seeds,fennel seeds,salt,cilantro and parsely.Grind to a coarse paste adding very little water.

Remove the above in a bowl and add baking powder and flour.Mix well.The batter should thicken with the addition of the flour.Check for salt and refrigerate covered.

When ready to cook,heat vegetable oil on a medium flame in a pan.Remove batter from the fridge.Take a fork and scoop the batter and slip into the hot oil.Cook till one side is golden ,then reverse the falafels and cook on the other side too.The frying should be done over medium flame so as to not brown the outsides quickly.Drain into a paper towel and keep.

Salad.

Chop tomatoes,cucumber,red pepper,onion and lettuce.Add a pinch of salt,pepper, sugar and a dash of lemon juice.Mix well.

Final assembling:

Heat one pita bread on a pan and slit it on the top of one side.Slide in a butterknife and it should open up like a pocket.Remove from the pan.

Hold the pita bread with the open end facing up.Add a little salad at the base of the pita pocket.Drizzle a bit of the sauce.Add 2 or 3 falafels.Drizzle sauce.Then again add a little salad and if there is enough place slip another falafel and drizzle some more sauce.Serve it immediately.