Appreciated throughout the world, Levantine cuisine is not only full of delicate and refined dishes, it also offers inventive and tasty street food. Falafel is one of the most popular dishes of this gastronomy and has almost become a regular one, too. As part of the Food Lab, a competition to highlight the know-how and creativity of the Royal Mansour Chefs, they attempted to revisit this classic dish to create gourmet sandwiches that can easily be prepared at home.
THE FALAFELS
To make the falafel sandwich, you will need the following ingredients:
The ingredients
- 450 g dried chickpeas
- 80 g chopped white onions
- 3 cloves of garlic, deseeded
- ½ bunch of parsley
- ½ bunch of fresh coriander
- 30 g ground cumin
- 10 g coriander powder
- 2 g baking soda
- 1 litre of frying oil
The preparation of the falafels
Soak the chickpeas in cold water overnight.
The next day, drain the chickpeas and dry them with paper towels. Mix the chickpeas, chopped white onions, garlic, parsley, fresh coriander, coriander powder and cumin in a blender. Blend the mixture until it is grainy but not pureed. Add the baking soda and combine well.
Form the falafels either with a falafel spoon or with your hands. Leave to rest for about 30 minutes to 1 hour. Fry in a hot oil bath until golden brown.
THE CREAMY SAUCE
To make the falafel sandwich creamy sauce, you will need the following ingredients:
The ingredients
- 100 g tahine (sesame cream)
- 80 ml water
- 20 ml lemon juice
- 1 small clove of garlic
- 1 pinch of salt
The preparation of the sauce
Peel the garlic clove and chop it, then add the rest of the ingredients. Whisk together until a runny cream, a little thicker than a custard, is obtained.
THE ASSEMBLING OF THE FALAFEL SANDWICHES
For the assembling of the falafel sandwich, you will need the following ingredients:
The ingredients
- Pain batbout
- Concombre
- Tomate
- Oignon
- Cornichons
- Chou blanc
- Chou rouge
- Radis
- Salade verte
- Huile d’olive
- Jus de citron
- Sel et poivre
The sandwich preparation
Peel the cucumber, drain it and cut it into semi-round slices. Next, dice the tomato and chop the onion and pickles into strips. Finely grate the white and red cabbage. Cut the radishes into thin strips. Make a chiffonade of the salad greens by finely chopping them.
Put all the raw vegetables in a bowl, mix and season with a little bit of olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper.
Half open the batbout bread, place the raw vegetable mixture on it, then the falafels and add the sauce.
For lunch or dinner, this falafel recipe will awaken your taste buds! Easy to make, this recipe is ideal to garnish your ftour table during Ramadan.