Falafel are very common for folks from the Mediterranean. They’re these delicious little crispy patties made traditionally out of chickpeas. I’m doing here a little spin on this and making red lentils falafel instead.
A nice way to eat those is accompanied by different condiments, salads and sauces. I usually eat them as a plate with other side dishes or as a sandwich in a pita bread.
You can cook these in oil to get a crispier crust or as a healthier option bake them in the oven with a light brush of olive oil to brown the patties.
What to eat your red lentils falafel with?
Falafel are really good eaten with Mediterranean mezze (warm or cold sides). This time around, we had our falafel with tahini sauce, tzatziki, fattoush salad and roasted red pepper hummus.
You can eat them served on a plate with the mezze or eat them as a sandwich in a pita bread with tahini sauce and vegetable condiments.
Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 1 small red onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 tbsp. tahini
- 1 cup soaked red lentils
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- 1/4 cup chickpea flour (or all purpose flour)
- 2 tbsp. Panko breadcrumbs (if the mix isn’t thick enough)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper Chili
- 1 tsp of baking powder
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp coriander seeds
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, to taste
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/4 cup parsley
- Salt and Pepper
Instructions
- Rinse the lentils. Soak in warm water with two inches of water above lentils for 24 hours. Add a tsp of baking soda to help make them tender during soaking process.
- Put the onion, garlic and parsley into a food processor and blend until pureed. Add the remaining ingredients to the food processor and pulse until mixed, but not pureed. You want to keep a bit of texture.
- Put the mixture in the fridge for at least an hour in order to facilitate making your falafel balls. You should be able to shape loose falafel balls with the mixture.
- Wet your hands with warm water so they your hands don't stick while making your patties. If the mixture is too wet, add the panko breadcrumbs and mix as it will absorb some of the liquid to make it easier to manipulate and help the patties hold together.
- Form golf ball sized patties and put them on a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- To Fry
- Put a 1/4 to 1/2 inch of vegetable oil in a deep pan and heat oil to 350 F
- Test one falafel ball for temperature. Put a layer of falafel to fry on both sides until browned and crispy. Don't overcrowd the pan.
- Put cooked falafel on paper towels to drain oil.
- To Bake
- Brush the falafel with olive oil to help with the browning process. Heat the oven to 400F and bake for 12 minutes on each side or until golden brown.