Falafel are delicious, healthy, and extremely versatile chickpea patties. They are great in wraps, pitas, sandwiches, burgers, salads, or as an appetizer, either alone or on a Mezza. Traditionally, falafel are deep-fried but they are equally great if baked. They can also be pan-fried in a very hot skillet with a small amount of oil. These spinach falafel are loaded with greens and herbs, and are a fantastic protein-rich option to keep on hand. Since they are baked they are crispier than traditional falafels but so much more satisfying. I usually serve them with pickled vegetables and tzatziki. The tartness of the pickled vegetables beautifully compliments the dish and adds a lot of flavour to it.
OTHER SERVING SUGGESTIONS
– with pita bread either served on the side or as wraps
– as burger or sandwich
– added to salads
– with greens like arugula / lettuce / kale / baby spinach
– with vegetables like onion / tomato / cucumber / olives / radish / carrot
– with feta cheese / cottage cheese
– with other dressings like hummus or tahini
How to make perfect falafel every time
- Use dried chickpeas, not canned. Soaking the chickpeas overnight and then using them results in soft interiors. Canned chickpeas have too much water and result in making the falafel mixture very wet.
- Soak the chickpeas overnight. It is very important to soak the chickpeas for at least 6 to 8 hours, this helps in softening them. If the chickpeas are not soaked properly, they will take a lot of time to boil. We do not want tough pieces of chickpeas in our falafel.
- Do not over blend spinach or other herbs. We do not want to puree them. This will make the falafel mixture very watery. Either chop them very finely and add them to the mixture or grind them coarsely, as suggested in the recipe, and then add to the chickpea mixture.
- Bake the falafel. In my experience baking the falafel takes very little time and effort compared to frying them. If the falafel mixture is not right, the falafel may end up soaking too much oil while frying. Plus, it is always better to use less oil. If you do not have an oven, then pan-frying them in a very hot skillet with a small amount of oil also works.
- The baking tray must be coated with olive oil. If this is not done then the falafel will stick to the tray, and you will have difficulty in flipping them and removing them.
Spinach Falafel With Pickled Beets & Onion
Yield: around 10 falafels
INGREDIENTS
Falafel
1 cup dried chickpeas, soaked overnight (will yield 3 cups cook chickpeas)
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
3 big garlic cloves
1.5 tsp lemon juice
2 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp coriander powder
2 tbsp flour
1/2 small broccoli
1/2 cup packed spinach
1/4th cup fresh coriander or parsley
a handful of mint leaves (optional)
salt & pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
sesame seeds for sprinkling on top
Pickled beets & onion
2 medium onion, cut in rings
1 medium beetroot
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar or white vinegar or combination
1.5 tbsp honey or sugar
1.5 tsp salt
1/4 tsp whole peppercorns
1 heatproof glass jar
Tzatziki
1 cup greek yogurt
1/2 cucumber, grated
1 tbsp olive oil
1 small garlic, minced
1 tbsp lemon juice
salt & pepper
fresh herbs like dill / chives / mint for garnishing
INSTRUCTIONS
Falafels
- Rinse and soak the dried chickpeas in enough water overnight.
- Next day, boil the chickpeas till tender. Drain and keep aside. Reserve some chickpea water.
- In a food processor, add onion, garlic, broccoli, spinach, coriander or parsley, and mint leaves. Grind into a coarse mixture. Do not over-blend, otherwise, spinach will release a lot of water and the falafel mixture will become watery. Put this mixture in a bowl.
- Now grind the chickpeas into a coarse mixture. Add this along with flour, cumin powder, coriander powder, lemon juice, salt & pepper to the spinach mixture. Mix everything. The falafel mixture must be coarse and chunky. If it is too wet, add a little flour, and if it is too dry, add some reserved chickpea water.
- Now, using your hands make small patties, about 2 inches wide. Sprinkle some sesame seeds on top of the falafels. Press them gently so that they get stuck to the falafels. At this stage, the falafels can be refrigerated on a parchment-lined plate for up to 5 days.
- For baking, preheat the oven to 180°C. Prepare a baking tray by greasing it with 1 tbsp olive oil.
- Place the shaped falafels evenly on the prepared baking tray. Do not clutter the tray. Drizzle the falafels with 1 tbsp of olive oil.
- Put the baking tray in the middle rack and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven flip each falafel gently and bake for another 20 minutes or till the falafels are golden brown on both sides.
Pickled beets & onions
- Start with cutting the onion into rings
- Place the beets in a saucepan and cover with water by about an inch. Bring to a boil on high heat then lower the heat and simmer for around 30 minutes, until they are soft.
- Drain them and rinse with cold water. Using your fingers, slip the peels off of the beets. The peels should come off easily. Alternatively, peel the beetroot using a peeler. Discard the peels. Quarter or slice the beets.
- Pack onion and beetroot in a clean heatproof glass jar. If you do not have a glass jar, then place them in a bowl.
- In a small saucepan, combine water, vinegar, honey or sugar, salt, peppercorns, and chili flakes. Bring this mixture to a gentle simmer, around 5 minutes, over a medium flame.
- Gently pour this mixture into the prepared jar or bowl
- Press the onion and beetroot into the vinaigrette with a spoon. Let the mixture cool down completely.
- This can be served immediately or stored in the refrigerator for about two weeks.
Tzatziki
- Start with grating the cucumber. Grate them on the large holes of your box grater. There is no need to peel them first.
- Once done, take one big handful of grated cucumber and lightly squeeze them between your palms over the sink to remove excess moisture. Transfer the squeezed cucumber to a serving bowl, and repeat with the remaining cucumber.
- Add olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, herbs, salt & pepper to the squeezed cucumber. Mix everything gently. Let the mixture sit for at least 15 minutes to allow the flavors to blend. Taste and add additional chopped fresh herbs, lemon juice, or salt, if necessary.
- Serve tzatziki immediately or chill for later. Leftover tzatziki keeps well, chilled, for about 4 days.
