Falafel With Tzatziki: Give Your Weekend Meal A Middle-Eastern Touch
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Middle-Eastern cuisine is an amalgamation of spicy and nutty flavours, lending the fare a distinct creaminess like no other. One highlight of Middle-Eastern cuisine is the wide array of dips that are popular, not just in their culture but also across the world. Take hummus for instance. The creamy, smooth, chickpea condiment is prepared by grinding chickpeas into a thick paste with some spices. This mildly-spiced dip is often paired with pita bread, another Middle-Eastern specialty. Similarly, there’s another iconic dish from the oil-rich region of the world called falafel. Heard of it before? For the unversed, falafel are small, round balls that are traditionally made of fava beans and deep-fried into a bite-sized patty that is usually paired with a dip. 

While most parts of Middle-East have well-accepted falafel as their own, if the story is to be believed, it is said that the tiny balls were invented in ancient Egypt some 4,000 years ago. A certain sect of the Christian community residing in Egypt is believed to have devised this unique snack in order to substitute for meat. Today, there are a plethora of places that make falafel with chickpeas in place of fava beans. The crispy balls are usually paired with Tzatziki, a creamy yoghurt dip made mixed with cucumbers, garlic, dill, lemon juice and olive oil. 

Bringing the same Middle-Eastern flavours to our plate, home chef @tadka_mar_ke shares an easy recipe of falafel and tzatziki with us. The recipe will give you full restaurant-style taste and feel so you should definitely try it for lunch today. 

Falafel With Tzatziki 

Ingredients 

  • One cup boiled chickpeas
  • One chopped onion
  • 7-8 garlic cloves
  • 1 green chilli
  • Roasted cumin seeds (1tsp)
  • Black pepper powder (1tsp= more if you like more spicy)
  • Oil for frying (I have pan fried them)
  • Pinch of baking soda
  • 2-3 tbsp of gram flour
  • Yogurt
  • Coriander leaves
  • Mint leaves
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • Lemon juice

Method 

  1. Begin the preparation by boiling some chickpeas. 
  2. Take those chickpeas and drain the water. 
  3. Add them to a bowl and throw in some roughly chopped onions, garlic cloves, green chillies and coriander leaves. 
  4. Next, add spices like black pepper powder, roasted cumin and salt. 
  5. Mix all this together and grind it into a smooth paste. 
  6. Then, add a pinch of baking soda and some gram flour to the mixture and combine it well. 
  7. Cover it with a plastic sheet and refrigerator for one hour. 
  8. After one hour, take it out and start making small, round balls of falafel from the mixture. 
  9. Heat oil in a pan and dunk the balls in. Fry them until the balls turn crispy and have a golden-brown colour. 
  10. Take them out on a plate with kitchen towel to remove excess oil. 
  11. Now start making the tzatziki dip. For this, pour some yoghurt in a bowl. 
  12. To this, add some grated cucumber and coriander leaves. Throw in some chopped garlic. 
  13. Then add some mint leaves, olive oil and salt to it. Mix all of this together. 
  14. Top it with olive oil and serve with hot falafel.