Falafel

For 1 person

1 cup Chickpeas

1 cooked peeled Potato (optional)

1 teaspoon Oregano (Only if you don't have anything else)

1 teaspoon of fresh Parsley

1 teaspoon of fresh Cilantro

1 teaspoon of Dill

1 cup of Spinach (optional)

1/2 teaspoon of Sea Salt

1/2 teaspoon of ground Black Pepper

1/2 teaspoon of ground Cumin

1/2 teaspoon of ground Coriander

Pinch (a pinch is 1/8 of a teaspoon) of Baking Powder (optional)

Pinch of Cayenne Pepper

1 tablespoon of fried Sesame Seeds

2/3 tablespoons Olive Oil (for frying)

1 tablespoon of Butter (optional) (for frying)

Garnish

2 tablespoons cup of grated Carrot

2 tablespoons cup of grated Red Cabbage

2 tablespoons of chopped Sweet Paprika

1/2 cup of  thinly sliced Iceberg Salad

Soak a cup of Chick Peas overnight, and boil for 40 minutes to 1 hour. Add the Potato the last 20 minutes.

Traditionally there are no binding agents allowed, but Potato is a good cheating agent (this is a Lebanese trick). I also find that Baking Powder makes the falafel fall apart, albeit fluffy…

Drain the Chickpeas and  put in a bowl and mesh them with a Potato Masher or blender (with a blender it will get too runny) with the herbs (Parsley, Cilantro and Dill), ground spices, Baking Powder (optional), Spinach (optional) and boiled Potato.

Put in the fridge for at least one hour. 

Put a baking paper on an oven tray and put a little Olive Oil on the paper with a brush or hand. Make the humus into patties, or balls, and add them on the tray one by one. Add a little more Olive Oil on top, either with a brush or sprinkle. Put them a preheated oven at 225 degrees Celsius (437 Fahrenheit). Or you can fry them in Olive Oil and/or Butter (Oil is better for frying, butter is more for taste), in a skillet (frying pan), on medium heat, while turning them over, or fry them in a pan full of oil. Make sure the oil is hot enough.

When you cook them in the oven, make sure to sprinkle them with Olive Oil and turn them over, after 10/15 minutes or until hardened and golden brown. Bake for another 5/10 minutes.

Warm up the Pita Bread in the oven, you can rub a little water with wet hands, before baking. Put the Falafel in the Pita Bread, add Sauce like Mayonnaise, Yoghurt, Ketchup, Tabasco, Sweet Chili Sauce, and add slices of Iceberg Salad, thinly sliced or grated Red Cabbage, thinly chopped Sweet Paprika, and thinly sliced or grated Carrot