Falafel pitas
Falafel are spicy chickpea cakes. They are a popular street food all over the Middle East. Served in pita bread pockets with a colourful crunchy salad, they are deliciously healthy as well as fun to eat.
2 x 398 ml cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 green chili pepper, deseeded and finely chopped
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1 small egg, beaten
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons canola oil
4 whole wheat pita breads
1⁄2 lemon, juiced
1⁄3 cup hummus
Salad
100 grams (3 1⁄2 oz) red cabbage, finely shredded
1 carrot, peeled and coarsely grated
1⁄3 English cucumber, cut into matchsticks
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
1.To make the falafel, put the chickpeas in a blender or food processor and process until smooth. Add the garlic, cumin and ground coriander and process again until well mixed. Add the chili pepper, cilantro, egg and 1 tablespoon of the flour and process again briefly. Season to taste. Transfer to a bowl and chill for about 30 minutes to firm the mixture.
2.Meanwhile, to prepare the salad, put the cabbage, carrot, cucumber and onion in a bowl and mix together.
3.Lightly flour your hands with the remaining flour and shape the chickpea mixture into eight patties. Heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the patties, in batches if necessary, for about 3 minutes on each side until crisp and golden. Drain well on paper towel.
4.Meanwhile, warm the pita breads in a toaster or under the grill and stir the lemon juice into the hummus to thin it slightly. Cut a slit lengthwise in the side of each bread to form a pocket. Spread 1 tablespoon of hummus inside each pocket, then stuff in two falafel with some salad. Serve immediately.
Serves 4
Preparation time 20 minutes, plus 30 minutes chilling
Cooking time 10 minutes
Each serving
21 g protein • 17.5 g fat of which 3 g saturates • 67 g carbohydrate • 19 grams fibre • 547 Calories
