Vegan Falafels with Zhoug Sauce
HYH- safe Zhoug Sauce can be found at Trader Joe's
Servings: 4 people
Ingredients
Falafels
- 12 oz dried chickpeas soaked overnight and simmered for 2 hours or use one of the quick cooking methods above I used Bob's Red Mill Dried Chickpeas
- 1 large shallot or 2 small, chopped
- 2 tablespoon fresh chopped cilantro
- 2 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon dried red pepper flakes (or ¼ teaspoon cayenne)
- 3-4 garlic cloves, peeled & chopped
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground coriander
- 4-5 tablespoon all purpose flour Can be gluten free. I used Trader Joe's All Purpose Gluten Free
- Optional: ⅛ tsp ground turmeric
- 4 tablespoon grapeseed oil or any high heat oil
- 4-6 butter lettuce wraps
- pomegranate seeds
- sunflower shoots for garnish
- 1 container Trader Joe's Zhoug Sauce
Instructions
- You can begin by soaking your dried chickpeas overnight in the fridge, then draining and rinsing them thoroughly. Place them in a large pot and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 2 hours. Another option is to quick cook them without soaking, using the instructions in the link above.
- Once cooked, drain and dry your chickpeas. Place the chickpeas and the shallots in a large food processor and pulse 2-3x. Add cilantro, parsley, spices, salt, and garlic. Process it till just blended/combined, scraping down the sides. Be careful to not over-process and puree the ingredients.
- Sprinkle in the baking powder and 3 tablespoons of flour and pulse. Add more flour if needed, the dough should not be too sticky on your hands and form into a small ball.
- Put the chickpea "dough" ball in a small bowl and refrigerate for at least 30 min to an hour. The longer it's in the fridge, the easier it will be to work with. Form into balls around 1-½".
- Heat a large sauté pan with oil over medium high heat. Make sure there's enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan. Once the oil is hot, test one ball to see if it falls apart. If it does, try adding more flour to the mixture. Add the falafel balls in just a few at a time. Work in batches so you don't overcrowd your pan. They will take only 2-3 minutes per side to brown.
- Transfer cooked falafels to a plate lined with a paper towel to drain the oil. Place on lettuce leaves and top with pomegranate seeds, greens, and Zhoug sauce.