Baked falafels with home-made pita

Falafels are something that have been on my agenda to make especially after purchasing my copy of Appetite for Reduction as I was excited that it contained a spicy, baked version. The only thing that held me back from trying it until now has been the man's lunches. Most days I send him off to work with leftovers from dinner or some soup, apart from once or twice a week when he buys something.

For the past few months, the man has been right back on the falafel bandwagon as a purchased lunch option. His relationship with falafels is quite difficult to predict so rather than inundate him with multiple occurrences in the same week, I have been patiently waiting and gently inquiring about what he has been eating when he buys his lunch. A few years ago when attending a work Christmas function at a Middle Eastern restaurant, the man astounded our table by refusing to eat falafels. Some people couldn't get their heads around a vegetarian not wanting to eat a vegetarian staple! He was just off them at the time...

Recently I was questioned as to why I had never made falafels before so I took it as my opportunity to do so! On the night, I prepared a batch of pita bread dough and whilst waiting for that to rise, made the falafels, hummus and a garlic sauce. The falafel mixture was simple to make with the aid of a food processor and although the little balls were a bit sticky to handle, they bound together well with some extra chickpea flour added.

Appetite for Reduction also contains a recipe titled "Hummus and friends". It starts with a base recipe for hummus which is fairly standard apart from the exclusion of tahini. The recipe then continues on with six different hummus variations that include a couple of extra ingredients to make them unique. I liked the sound of the Shabby Sheik Hummus as it contained smoked paprika, cumin and cayenne pepper and I thought this would pair well with the falafels.

I went with my instinct for the garlic sauce and used silken tofu, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and garlic and adjusted quantities until I was satisfied. Two cloves of garlic were blended in with the other ingredients initially but I could still detect an underlying taste of tofu. I added an extra couple of cloves of garlic and the sauce was fantastic, perhaps a little too garlicky for some people's tastes although perfectly suitable for my audience.

After the falafels were baked and the pita breads rolled out and cooked in the frying pan, the only thing left to do was to assemble these babies! Each pita began with a generous spread of hummus, followed by some shredded cos lettuce, chopped tomatoes, sliced red onion, falafels and topped off with the garlic sauce. It's been a while since I last had falafels and I must say that these ones really hit the spot! My son has never been a falafel lover so I almost fell off my chair when he scoffed his down without complaint and proceeded to go back for seconds. The man also went back for more which meant there were no leftovers, so next time I will definitely be making a double batch!

Baked Falafels (Adapted from Appetite for Reduction)

1 x 400g tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/2 red onion, roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 bunch parsley leaves
1 tablespoon olive oil

2 teaspoons Sriracha chilli sauce

3-4 tablespoons chickpea (besan) flour

1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon coriander

1/2 teaspoon paprika 

1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 200C.

Place the chickpeas, onion, garlic, parsley, olive oil and chilli sauce in a food processor and pulse until a smooth mixture results. You may need to scrape down the sides a couple of times to ensure that everything is processed.

Transfer the mixture to a bowl and stir through the chickpea flour, cumin, coriander, paprika, baking powder, salt and pepper. If the mixture is not firm enough to roll into balls, add a bit more chickpea flour.

Line an oven tray with baking paper and spray with olive oil spray. Make walnut sized balls out of the mixture and then flatten them slightly into patties. Bake for 16 to 18 minutes, the underside should be browned. Spray the tops of the falafels, flip them over and them bake for a further 8 to 10 minutes.     

Shabby Sheik Hummus (Adapted from Appetite for Reduction)

1 x 400g tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons tahini
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt

Place all ingredients in a food processor bowl and pulse until the mixture becomes smooth and no lumps remain. Transfer to a container and refrigerate until required.


Garlic sauce 

300g package silken tofu
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt (or more, to taste)
2-4 cloves crushed garlic (start with 2 cloves, add additional garlic to taste)

Place all ingredients in a food processor or blender and process until the mixture is smooth. Transfer to a container and refrigerate until required.