Falafel

Method

1. The night before, rinse the chickpeas, put them in a large bowl and cover with at least three times their depth of cold water. Soak for 12 to 24 hours, until they have almost doubled in size and split easily with a fingernail. Do not cook them: cooked or canned chickpeas make falafel that falls apart in the oil.

   Add in this stepDried chickpeas 130 g

2. Drain the chickpeas well and pat them dry with paper towel. Roughly chop the onion and garlic and pull the thick stems off the parsley and cilantro. In a food processor, first chop the herbs, onion and garlic finely, then add the chickpeas and pulse in short bursts until the mix looks like coarse sand or couscous. It should not become a smooth paste. If the bowl is more than half full, work in two batches.

   Add in this stepOnion ½Garlic cloves 2Flat-leaf parsley (leaves and tender stems) 25 gCilantro (leaves and tender stems) 10 g

3. Mix in the cumin, coriander, salt and pepper. When you squeeze a handful, it should hold together. Cover and chill for 30 min; cold mix is easier to shape and holds together better.

   Add in this stepGround cumin 1 tspGround coriander 1 tspSalt ¾ tspGround black pepper ¼ tsp

4. Meanwhile, make the sauce. Stir the tahini, lemon juice, grated sauce garlic and salt together; it will seize and turn thick at first. Add the cold water a tablespoon at a time, stirring, until it loosens again and falls slowly from a spoon like yogurt.

   Add in this stepTahini (sesame paste) 3 tbspLemon (for juice) 1Garlic (for the sauce) ½Salt (for the sauce) 1 pinchCold water (for the sauce) 3 tbsp

5. Just before frying, stir the baking soda evenly through the mix. With wet hands, firmly press it into 12 balls about 4 cm across, flatten them slightly into thick discs and press sesame seeds onto one side. Lay them on a tray without touching.

   Add in this stepBaking soda ¼ tspSesame seeds 1 tsp

6. Pour oil 4 cm deep into a deep 20 cm pot (it should be no more than half full). Heat over medium-high heat for about 9 min to 175 °C. No thermometer? Drop in a crumb of the mix: if it bubbles immediately and floats within 2 to 3 seconds, the oil is ready. Dry your hands and tools completely and never leave heating oil unattended.

   Add in this stepOil for deep-frying 1.3 L

   medium-high heat

7. Place a falafel on a spoon and slide it gently into the oil close to the surface, away from you. Fry one first to check it holds together, then fry in 2 batches, only as many as fit in a single layer. Keep the heat at medium-high heat and fry each batch for 4 min, turning once, until deep brown and crisp. Drain on a wire rack. If the oil starts to smoke, turn off the heat at once.

   medium-high heat

8. Turn off the heat and leave the pot where it is until the oil is completely cold. Split the pitas into pockets, spread with sauce, add the falafel (crush them lightly), tomato slices, pickles and mint leaves, and finish with more sauce.

   Add in this stepPita bread 2Tomato 1Pickled turnips or cucumber pickles 60 gMint leaves 8