Falafel with Tahini Sauce

Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse, 2002

Show: Emeril LiveEpisode: Bustin' with Beans

Rated: 3 stars out of 5Rate itRead users' reviews (6)

RECIPE
COMMENTS & REVIEWS(6)

Cook Time:
25 min
Level:
Intermediate
Yield:
about 8 servings

Times:

Prep: 25 min
Inactive Prep: 20 min
Cook: 25 min
Total:: 1 hr 10 min

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Ingredients

1 1/2 cups cooked and drained chickpeas
1/2 cup finely chopped yellow onions
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon lemon juice, or water
2 teaspoons chopped garlic
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 cups vegetable oil, for frying
Warm pita bread, split in half lengthwise
Tahini Sauce, recipe follows
Sliced tomatoes
Shredded lettuce

Directions

Combine the chickpeas, onions, parsley, lemon juice, garlic, coriander, cumin, salt, turmeric, and cayenne in the bowl of a food processor. Process on high speed until it forms a smooth paste, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. Transfer to a bowl and add the baking powder and flour. Adjust the seasoning, to taste. Refrigerate until firm, about 20 minutes.

Heat the oil to 360 degrees F. in a deep pot over medium-high heat.

With damp hands, shape the chickpea batter into balls about 1 1/2 tablespoons each and then flatten into patties. Fry in batches until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Drain on paper towels.

Open the pita bread halves and insert 2 or 3 falafel patties into each. Drizzle with the tahini sauce and layer the tomatoes and lettuce on top. Serve immediately.

Tahini Sauce:

1/3 cup tahini paste (sesame seed paste)
1/2 cup water, or more as needed
1 to 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
Pinch cayenne

In a blender, combine all the ingredients. Process on high speed to make a creamy sauce. Adjust seasoning, to taste, and serve with the falafel, as a dip or sauce for the sandwiches.

Yield: about 3/4 cup

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Comments & Reviews

recipe Falafel with Tahini Sauce
Barbara Exeter, RI 05-13-2009
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In my permanent rotation
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I love this recipe. I did not have trouble with texture, and I follow the recipe pretty much exactly. Refrigerating the dough... may be the trick. I've made this over and over again, I don't know why I didn't review it before now. By the way, I use canned chickpeas, and I also pan fry instead of deep frying. Very easy and delicious. Read more
recipe Falafel with Tahini Sauce
Kate Canton, NY 04-05-2009
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be sure to refrigerate
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

This is a delicious recipe. I have made it a couple of times; I vary the spices. Most recently I omitted the coriander (b/c... I didn't have any). Once the batter is made be sure to pack it in a bowl and refrigerate for the length of time specified. This makes it easier to form and keeps it together when cooking. Mine did not fall apart when frying. Read more
recipe Falafel with Tahini Sauce
Anonymous 03-15-2006
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Awesome
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I always used to buy Falafel kits from the supermarket, not knowing what all goes in it. Thanks to Emeril, now I can make... falafels everyday. I also pan fried them with a little oil instead of deep frying them (sorry, Emeril). I serve with roasted onions, peppers and other veggies like they do on falafel carts in New York.Read more
recipe Falafel with Tahini Sauce
Anonymous 02-02-2006
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The Missing Ingredient
Rated: 2 stars out of 5

As much as I love Emeril's recipes (and love FoodNetwork), I have noticed that all of the falafel recipes that I've seen so... far FORGET THE FAVA BEANS! The beans are what give the falafel it's distinctive flavor. I have tried recipes without them, but they just don't taste right. So for all you people out there, DON'T FORGET THE FAVA BEANS! :-)Read more
recipe Falafel with Tahini Sauce
Anonymous 11-19-2005
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Another disappointment
Rated: 2 stars out of 5

I, too, had trouble with this one; I used less flour, but when I put the patties into my deep fryer, they just... disintegrated! I salvaged the remaining dough, put in more flour and pan fried them. Their flavor was good, but this definitely has a texture problem. I'm wondering if it requires more chickpeas, or a different type, such as dried vs. canned. Try another recipe, not this one.Read more
recipe Falafel with Tahini Sauce
Anonymous 11-17-2005
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Very, very disappointing.....
Rated: 1 stars out of 5

I am a huge fan of falafel, but having returned to my small hometown, it is hard to come by. I tried this recipe with very... disappointing results...all you could taste was the flour! I would recommend finding a different recipe, or greatly reducing the amount of flour. I did some research on other recipes after failing with this one and found that most call for only a tablespoon or so of flour, or none at all. Perhaps I misunderstood something in the directions?Read more