Falafel with Tzatziki Sauce

This past Shabbat we had falafel with Tzatziki sauce.  They were delicious when warm and also excellent the next day when cold.  You can use dried chick peas - rinse well, soak and cook overnight in crockpot or in a pot on the stove until tender.  I most often used canned garbanzo beans for ours.

*This can be served for pesach (Passover) if you eat Kitniyot. Use potato starch to bind together instead of flour.  During Pesach, use lettuce leaves instead of bread.  It is really delicious.  Many Vietnamese foods are wrapped in lettuce leaves when eaten and the fresh crunch is very nice.

    Ingredients For Falafel:  

    2 (15 ounce) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained

    1 onion, chopped

    1/2 cup fresh parsley, roughly chopped

    1/2 cup fresh coriander/cilantro, roughly chopped

    2 - 3 cloves garlic, minced/pressed

    1 Tbsp ground cumin

    1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric

    1 teaspoon salt

    1 dash pepper

    1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

    Juice of one lemon

    3/4 cup wheat flour or fine matzah meal.  Potato starch or chickpea flour can also be substituted.

    2 eggs

    Oil for frying

Do you have a food processor?  Oh, you lucky people!  If so, now is the time to use it.  If you do not own one, don't worry.  People have been making falafel for centuries by mashing and chopping.  If you will be making without a food processor, warm the drained garbanzo beans and they will mash easier. 

Method:

Drain the garbanzo beans and put into your food processor.  Then add the remaining ingredients (Except for the eggs and the oil) and process until fairly smooth.  Taste and adjust seasoning BEFORE you add the egg.

Once the falafel dough tastes right, add the beaten eggs and process again.
It should be about the consistency of play-doh or peanut butter cookie dough.  If too dry, add more lemon juice or a bit of water. 

Use a 1/8 cup measuring cup or a 2 Tbsp scoop to make individual balls of falafel mix.  Press them slightly between your hands
so they are more flat than round - they will fit into the bread easier.

Place on lined baking tray and refrigerate until ready to cook.

                                          

Heat 1/2 inch vegetable oil in fry pan until hot - 350ºF/175ºC if you have a thermometer

Carefully add falafel balls to hot oil and fry until the bottom side is brown.  Using a thin spatula, fork or chopsticks, flip the falafel balls over to fry the other side until brown.  Remove from oil when cooked and place on absorbent paper to drain.

Continue frying until all are cooked.

We like to eat our falafel with flat bread, avocado, cucumber, tomato, sliced red onion and lemon slices.
Homemade tzatziki sauce is very easy to make. If you will be having the dairy sauce with these, crumbled feta is also excellent with falafel. 

If you do not want dairy, serve with lots of lemon slices. 

K (D) with tzatziki sauce or (P) with lemon slices 
*Kosher for Pesach (Passover) with adjustments at top of recipe