World's Easiest Falafel and Tzatziki
The ingredients: bread, cucumber, lemon, egg, garlic, yogurt, onion, cilantro, mint, pitas, cumin and chickpeas.
After soaking the chickpeas overnight, we dried them on paper towels for a few hours.
Amanda cheerfully throws ingredients into the food processor -- we love that you just toss everything in together!
Could we possibly fit anything else in here?
Yes, we can!
It's alive!
We decided to finish the job in batches.
Forming the falafel patties. It's kind of like going back to kindergarten.
Aren't they cute? And such a pretty green!
Amanda fries up the first batch of falafel.
Neither of us had ever actually made falafel before -- so much fun!
Meanwhile, the tsatziki is a similar dump and whirr operation.
Lots of mint, and lots of cucumber, makes this version really fresh.
Now, that's some beautiful falafel.
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A&M say: Call anything "world's easiest" and we're skeptical, but marisab67 is on to something. We'd never made falafel from scratch before and were astonished at how easy -- and fun -- it could be. The food processor does double duty for the herbed chickpea mixture and then the garlic-scented tzatziki, saving us from both fine-chopping and washing extra dishes. The falafel patties are easily formed (a good time to put children or other passersby to work) and well-behaved in the frying pan. One bite into a pita stuffed with freshly crisped falafel, doused in your perfect tzatziki and a few shakes of hot sauce, and ordering take-out will seem like too much trouble. - A&M
marisab67 says: Is there a better street food than falafel? You can keep your sketchy taco trucks. The smell of the balls frying, the cool, creamy tzatziki on a muggy New York afternoon. The idea that you are eating something good for you that's on the fried food pyramid. It's really got it all.
And it even comes with it's own slideshow:)
Serves 4-6
- 2 cups dried chickpeas, rinsed well and soaked overnight
- 1 small yellow onion
- 1 bunch mint, washed
- 1/2 bunch cilantro, rinsed and coarsely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 egg (optional)
- 1 piece bread
- 2 pinches salt
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 lemons, juiced
- 1 cup canola oil for frying
- 1 cucumber, peeled and seeded
- 1 cup plain yogurt, Greek style preferred
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 pkg. pita or flatbread
- Drain chickpeas and let air dry for 2 hours, or more.
- Process chickpeas, onion, 2 cloves garlic, half bunch mint, cilantro, egg, bread, salt and pepper, cumin and half the lemon juice on low speed until a thick paste forms. No chunks or your balls will fall apart.
- Form into patties and let rest while tzatziki is made.
- Rinse processor and pulse cucumber, yogurt, rest of mint and lemon juice and the last garlic clove on low just until blended. salt and pepper to taste.
- Fry patties in canola on medium high heat for 3 minutes each side or until golden brown.
- Serve with warm pita or flatbread.
- Your Best Dirt Cheap Dinner Contest Finalist!
- This recipe was entered in the contest for Your Best Street Food
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Tags: can be made ahead, chickpeas, mediterranean, street food, Vegan, Vegetarian
18 days ago Kanchi Agrawala-Dokania
I did make falafel at home but used a premixed product and added my own variation to it. But it is not really easy finding a good falafel joint. In Manhattan, there is a truck that serves falafel which is very good and then very recently I had falafel at Central Park west, Manhattan, NY. That trumped the one that I had on the truck. Most other places serve falafel balls that are too big and undercooked.
http://thesnootyvegetarian...
about 1 month ago MapToMyStomach
I just made this with my immersion blender and it totally worked!
about 1 month ago Archizoom
no offense but when i read "easy" a small handy list of ingredients comes to mind lol
4 months ago Tak1976
No offense but your Tzatziki recipe is way off. I've ready your other comments saying you hate dill and use mint as a sub but that is wrong. You've also omitted olive oil which is essential to the recipe instead of lemon juice. It would be the equivalent of saying you are giving somebody marinara sauce and serving up ketchup. You should really change the name of the recipe and use a different name for your sauce because this is horribly misleading.
about 1 month ago marisab67
http://en.wikipedia.org... or WHATEVER. It says or dill or mint. I know you're Zeus and the authority on food. Maybe you should work for wiki. Jealous of this many people liking my shit much?
6 months ago Hellecoox
I tried making this using gluten-free bread, didn't work very well. Any suggestions?
I ended up adding rice and tapioca flour, but still was not good hefty falafel texture. Loved the tzatziki, much better than the gooey prefab kind in gyros shops.
about 1 month ago marisab67
maybe cooked rice would be a good binder? a 1/4 cup or so?
7 months ago Whats4Dinner
I'm vegan now and will be making this tonight. I'll leave out the egg and skip the sauce. What I DO plan on making are little relish-y sides, kind of like how a nearby falafel truck serves it. Wish me luck! :-)
7 months ago Whats4Dinner
Okeydokey, just made them in two ways and they were delicious. I fried a batch and I baked a batch (minimizing oil). I baked it at 400F for about 20-25 minutes total, flipping them halfway through. Even my picky daughter devoured them! My son (who eats anything as long as it's mostly dead) liked them fried and baked. All around winner recipe to be repeated in our house! Thanks :-)
about 1 month ago marisab67
THANK YOU!!! For vegans, they are perfect. A muhammara sauce would be good instead of tzatziki if you don't like soy sour cream alternatives.
8 months ago darksideofthespoon
Made these last week with homemade naan bread and again tonight with the same! Only change was I made these without cilantro, I'm a hater! ;) Loved them so much though, even converted my hubby to actually eating a meal without meat! (That is very impressive, getting him to eat a meal without meat is like trying to bathe 3 cats at once.)
about 1 month ago marisab67
They are difficult aren't they? Husbands, not cats.
8 months ago wingirl
Hi - Just made the mixture - everyone is excited and thrilled to try them! If we have too much - better to save mixture uncooked or best to cook up each falafel and reheat later?? Thanks - mouth is watering!
about 1 month ago marisab67
Save mix for later. They get dense when they cool.
9 months ago mosteff
I did these last night for the first time and thought overall it was a great recipe but I will add more salt and cumin next time to the mix. Also, unlike some others who critiqued the tzatziki, fine - it isn't exactly that, but it was still a very delicious variation. I enjoyed this!! Served it with a tuscan kale salad with avocado dressing and a Kitchen Sink white. Yum. I never knew falafel was made with uncooked soaked chick peas.
about 1 month ago marisab67
The raw is what makes it better than the mix!
11 months ago Brenzo
really enjoy this recipe. hearty, flavorful and delicious! Not to mention - healthy! Thanks. What a great vegetarian lunch!
about 1 year ago lfm
p.s. The tsatsiki seems just right for this since it's more of a sauce like what you usually put on falafel.
about 1 year ago lfm
Easy and useful recipe, but make sure to make a small patty to try before making a bunch: i (who like bold flavors) found that the mixture needed a fair amount of salt, more spices (I added more cumin and ground coriander) and more minced garlic.
about 1 year ago Trayfeb
Can't wait to try these Marisa!!
about 1 year ago learnoff
I make a very similar recipe only mine includes a small amount of baking soda. So as to avoid frying, I spray oil on a cookie sheet and bake. I have to turn them over half way through so they get browned on both sides. Although I must admit, of course, frying is better! I have tried using canned chick peas several times and it never works - they just fall apart. The only way to do this is to think ahead and soak the chick peas and use them uncooked. Yum!
about 1 year ago Alexis Schneider
hello! do you usually bake them on 350 F or so?
How long on each side? I am trying to bake them because I used canned chick peas and I think they are too wet.
Thanks!
about 1 year ago outofhearts
my husband is from Egypt and they use leeks and scallions instead of yellow onion. you can also use canned chick peas to cut out the bean soaking steps. (i use canned chick peas when making hummus too)
they use tahini to make the 'white sauce' for the falafel. white sauce is tahini, lemon juice, garlic, salt and water to thin out the mixture. note: a small amount of tahini can make a lot of the sauce.
about 1 year ago ecm
I have to say that your tzatziki recipe is a bit off. It should have dill in it, not mint and cilantro and a little bit of olive oil. There is typically too much water in the cucumbers (thins out the tzatziki), so once the cucumbers are chopped, they should be drained of extra liquid prior to adding the yogurt. Just my two cents on making a more authentic tzatziki. A few people posted they bought store made tzatziki - be ware that they usually use sour cream instead of yogurt, so it will have a completely different taste.
about 1 year ago marisab67
There is no cilantro in it. Only mint. I think you read it wrong. And we hate the taste of dill. Personal preference, but thanks for the 2 cents.
about 1 year ago marisab67
There is no cilantro in it. Only mint. I think you read it wrong. And we hate the taste of dill. Personal preference, but thanks for the 2 cents.
about 1 year ago marisab67
There is no cilantro in it. Only mint. I think you read it wrong. And we hate the taste of dill. Personal preference, but thanks for the 2 cents.
9 months ago ademello
What? Ingredient #4 is: "1/2 bunch cilantro, rinsed and coarsely chopped."
8 months ago astErik
That's for the falafel, not the tzatziki.
about 1 year ago ecm
I have to say that your tzatziki recipe is a bit off. It should have dill in it, not mint and cilantro and a little bit of olive oil. There is typically too much water in the cucumbers (thins out the tzatziki), so once the cucumbers are chopped, they should be drained of extra liquid prior to adding the yogurt. Just my two cents on making a more authentic tzatziki. A few people posted they bought store made tzatziki - be ware that they usually use sour cream instead of yogurt, so it will have a completely different taste.
about 1 year ago marisab67
We are not dill fans in this house unless we're making borscht and the cilantro goes in the falafel. But thanks for your 2 cents. I hope the 20000 other people who've looked at the recipe can figure it out.
over 1 year ago lizb
I mixed up the falafel for lunch and they were wonderful - I haven't had any this good since leaving NYC!
over 1 year ago Niknud
Made them. Loved them. More importantly, children loved them. Husband asked for the leftovers in his lunch today. Saved recipe. Wonderful!
over 1 year ago paucie
I don't know what went wrong, but these weren't what we were hoping for. They were . . . lacking. Lacking flavor. Lacking texture. Lacking the crispiness I expect in a falafel. I followed the recipe to the letter -- anyone have any advice as to what may have gone wrong? Are these supposed to be so bland?
over 1 year ago marisab67
Since you are the only person who didn't love them, no. Did you soak the beans? Do you use salt? Are your taste buds dead, because Amanda Hesser seemed to enjoy them. Maybe you're related to the kale tart person?
over 1 year ago nick.gaerlan
a good idea is to make a small test sample before you commit to forming the patties. empty the falafel into a large bowl. cook up a little bit and taste it, then adjust the dry seasonings (salt and pepper and cumin). It's important to not use the food processor as a mixer because you don't want to ruin the somewhat grainy texture.
as for the food processor part: i like to up the lemon flavor, so i zested the lemons and put most of it in the mix. i also threw in an extra garlic clove in the processor (about 2 tablespoons total if you were to roughly mince all of it). also, there's a lot of gray area with "one bunch of mint" and "1/2 a bunch of cilantro". i consider a "bunch" to equal about 1oz when talking about fresh broad leaf herbs like basil, mint, parsley, or cilantro. Visually 1 oz of mint will look like too much, even after you discard most of the stem parts.
it's worth trying again.