RECIPE - Toast Falafels

I had my first falafel a few weeks ago (yeah really- I'm a total carnivore so they were never on my radar) and decided to make my own. The recipe I was originally following had some spices I'd never heard of before and didn't call for egg, which I found was essential to get it mixing together. I also didn't have dry breadcrumbs ready so I decided to use toast to bulk them up, and it worked! Here's my recipe...



YOU WILL NEED
1 tin of chick peas
Half a small onion
A large tsp of garlic granules
1 tsp dried parsley
2 tsp cumin seed (you can use ground if you like but I don't have a pestle and mortar)
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 slices of toast
Salt and pepper
1 large egg
Vegetable oil for frying

1) Drain the chick peas and microwave for a minute to soften them up a bit. Mash them good!

2) Chop the onion finely and add to the bowl with the spices and baking powder. Mix up.

3) Crumble the toast into the bowl, breaking up clumpier pieces and mix in again.

4) Crack the egg into the bowl and make sure it is well mixed.

5) Take a saucepan and fill it 1/4- 1/3 full with vegetable oil (so you might want to use a small one!). Heat on the hob but never leave unattended!

6) Once hot, squidge some of the mixture into balls and carefully place into the pan (slotted spoons are great) so hot fat doesn't splash you. Cook for around 10 minutes or until golden brown.

These are great in pitta bread with tzatziki but I didn't have any of that so I put in some Nando's Garlic Sauce. Phwoar firey!