Pita bread stuffed with falafels

Falafels were originated in Egypt. It is a popular fast food in the middle east. These can be served by itself or stuffed in the pita bread. My recipe is adapted from here and here.




Ingredients for Falafel:

Garbanzo beans - 1 cup
Onion - 1 medium and chopped
Parsley leaves - 2.5 tbsp
Cilantro leaves [coriander] - 2.5tbsp
Garlic - 4 cloves [minced]
Baking powder - 1 tsp
Salt - 1 tsp
Ground cumin powder- 1 tsp [optional]
All purpose flour [maida] - 4-6 Tbsp

Ingredients for Tahini-Yogurt sauce:

Tahini - 1/2 cup [I bought at Trader Joes]
Yogurt - 1/2 cup
Lemon juice - 2 Tbsp
Garlic - 1 [finely minced]
Salt to taste

Ingredients for sandwich:

Pita - 1 packet store bought
Tomatoes - sliced in rings
Lettuce leaves
Cucumber - sliced

Method for Falafel:

Soak garbanzo beans over night or 8 hrs in a bowl of water [keep in mind that the beans swell when soaked in water, therefore use enough water]

Drain the beans and keep them aside

Transfer drained beans and coarsely chopped onions, garlic, cilantro and parsley leaves into a food processor and grind it until the mix blends well [you don't want to puree it]

DO NOT ADD EXCESS WATER WHILE GRINDING . This is very very important, else you will have hard time making balls from the batter and frying [use water sparingly]
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Transfer the above mix into a different bowl, sprinkle baking powder and 4-6 Tbsp all purpose flour and form a dough [this will not have a consistency of a regular dough. It will appear crumbly. At this point you will think something is wrong with the recipe...but trust me just keep going....your falafels will come out just fine :))]

After you have mixed the dough properly, cover it and keep it in the refrigerator for couple of hours [this is optional, but it helps to set the dough and it makes easier to form balls]

Scoop 2 tbsp of the dough and form a 3 cm long elongated roll or shape them into balls. Make several rolls/ball and keep it aside

Heat oil in a deep pan or a wok. When the oil is hot, deep fry the balls in batches on medium heat until they are golden brown in color. Drain it on a paper towel.

Method for Tahini-Yogurt Sauce:

Combine all the ingredients and mix well. Adjust seasoning. The sauce has a consistency of a ketchup

Method for Sandwich:

Slightly toast the pita bread on a griddle [tawa] and cut them into half

Stuff each half of the pita pocket with lettuce, cucumber, falafels and tomatoes. Give a generous drizzle of tahini sauce and serve immediately!

Note:
  • Instead of deep frying falafels, you can pan fry them by drizzling small amount of oil. It tastes just great.

Comments

Pooja said…
Falafels in that bread are looking great renu..
Wow this is one of our favourites seeing urs mouthwatering and feel like eating right now..
Pooja said…
Falafels are looking delicious and tempting! Great shots too.
That looks yumm....one of my favourites...loved the falafels..
Renus Kitchen said…
Thx both Poojas, Pavithra and Pratibha....I just noticed you all have 'P' in common :)))
lubnakarim06 said…
Oh wow love the idea.....very innovative....Falafels look droolworthy...Nice presentation.
Suparna said…
hi Renu,
nice and bright picture! those falafel stuffed pita looks really filling and yummm.
tc
The Falafels are looking so cute!!! you have brought out the right color for those Falafels Renu!!!
Unknown said…
Renu
Love falafel, yours look very nice. With really tempting and bright pictures. Nice recipe from scratch.
Eye catching picture.Ohh i am drooling here.Well presented and great recipe.
Pooja said…
Hi Renu
I used the cornflakes we have for cereal(sugar less).You can get them from walmart or any store.
kittymatti said…
wow...... this is an awesome presentation and lovely recipe!!
kittymatti said…
Hi renu, Maybe u should try the ompudi acchu(press) of the regular press set. However, u will find difficulty in pressing the dough through those tiny holes.. I have not done it before, however, just thought of it as a substitute:)
Sorry, didnt have yr email Id so replied here..
Raaga said…
everything looks so nice... I'm hungry now.
I sometimes add guacamole/hummus as a spread inside the wraps/pita bread-tastes great that way too!!
The falafel's look great:)
Ammu said…
Will try this surely. I was looking for this recipe. Thanks for sharing.
wow everything from scratch? awesome... nice blog here.
Parita said…
wow falafels look delicious..nice clicks made me hungry :)
Neha said…
these are looking really mouthwatering renu.., nice blog with gr8 pic. too..
Unknown said…
Renu, come and check our blog there is something awaiting you.
Indian Khana said…
Wow that looks so yummy....wonderful pic...mouth watering
Renus Kitchen said…
thank you all for your appreciation...do try it out and let me know how it comes out
Unknown said…
Falafel and pita bread! Heaven!
silvergirl said…
sounds delicious, i havent taste any indian foods..but i will try ur recipe.. thanks for the sharing
Recipeswap said…
This is such a nice and bright click.Good recipe Bookmarked!
i just posted a recipe for falafels. it's interesting to see the differences in our recipes.
truptim said…
wow falafal with pita bread looks delicious