Falafel with Yogurt Sauce

Ingredients

2 cups of dried chickpeas soaked overnight (not canned chickpeas)
½ tsp baking soda
3 Tbsp of Maani’s Curried Chickpea Spice Blend
Salt and Pepper to taste
Oil for frying
1 onion chopped
4 cloves of garlic chopped
2 green chili’s or jalapeno
½ cup fresh dill chopped
1 cup of fresh parsley chopped
1 cup of fresh cilantro chopped
1 tsp of baking powder

Cilantro Yogurt Sauce

½ small onion chopped
2 cups of chopped cilantro
2 cups nonfat yogurt
4 Tbsp fresh mint chopped
3 Tbsp of lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine everything together and mix to make a smooth yogurt sauce.

Tahini Sauce

1 clove of garlic chopped
½ tsp of salt
¾ cup of tahini paste
½ cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
¼ cup of cold water
1 cup fresh parsley with stems removed

Mix all of these ingredients into a food processor and blend, if it’s too thick just add water till you reach the desired consistency

Instructions

One day in advance – place the dried chickpeas and baking soda in a large bowl filled with water to cover the chickpeas by at least 2 inches. Soak overnight and when they are a bit soft, drain the chickpeas completely and pat them dry.

1. Add the chickpeas, herbs, onions, garlic and Maani’s Curried Chickpea Spice Blend to a food processor and run the food processor until the mixture is well combined.

2. Transfer the falafel mixture to a container and cover tightly and place in the fridge for at least an hour or overnight.

3. Just before you want to fry the falafels add the baking powder and mix it in with a large spoon.

4. Scoop a full tablespoon of the falafel mixture and form into small balls or patties.

5. Heat a medium saucepan with oil over medium high heat and carefully drop in the falafel patties in the oil and fry for 5 minutes until dark brown outside.

6. Serve the falafel hot and serve them in a pita bread with tahini sauce or hummus, arugula, tomato and cucumbers. Or you can also dip these into a cilantro yogurt sauce