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.