Delicately seasoned falafel (Middle Eastern chickpea fritters) served with creamy tahini sauce. Enjoy in pita bread with crisp salad vegetables, or simply by themselves as a delightful appetizer.

Falafel

8 oz (250g) dried chickpeas (garbanzo beans)

1 onion—diced

1 clove garlic—minced

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh flat leaf parsley

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons olive oil, for frying

Tahini sauce

2 cloves garlic—roughly chopped

½ cup tahini (sesame seed paste)

½ teaspoon salt

¼ cup lemon juice

¼ cup water

Falafel

SOAK the chickpeas overnight in plenty of cold water, covered, on the kitchen bench (the dried chickpeas will swell to around 3 cups worth of soaked chickpeas). DRAIN the chickpeas well and place in a food processor or blender. PULSE until they form a roughly chopped mixture, then add the remaining ingredients and pulse more, scraping the sides occasionally, until the ingredients are well combined and the mixture holds together (don't over process - you still want a bit of texture). LET the mixture rest for around 30 minutes. HEAT 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large frying pan over low heat. FORM golf ball-size spoonfuls of the mixture (about 1 heaped tablespoon each) and flatten slightly with the palm of your hand (dampen your hands first to help prevent sticking). FRY half the patties (about 9) for 5 minutes on each side until crisp and golden. REPEAT the process with the remaining olive oil and falafel mixture.

Tahini Sauce

PLACE all the ingredients into a food processor or blender and process to combine.

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