Green Peas falafel with sumac and beetroot tahini sauce

Falafel is probably the most popular street food in Israel , these are small fried balls made of soaked chickpeas , deep fried and served in the traditional pita bread, many chefs and cooks are inspired by this traditional street food, here is my version to this dish.

Falafel: for about 10 balls

●      250 gr of chickpeas soaked in water for at least 12 hours

●      1 onion, very finely chopped

●      1 garlic clove, crushed

●      1 cup of cooked green peas

●      Bread crumbs  only if necessary to bind mix.

●      1 tsp. coriander, ground

●      1 tsp. cumin, ground

●      Cyan pepper (optional)

●      2 tbsp parsley, finely chopped

●      salt, to taste

●      oil for frying

Pound or purée the chickpeas together with the green peas  - I recommend using a meat grinder (with the medium small size grinder disc attached) or a processor not over working the mass.

Mix with all the ingredients above with the pound chickpeas - Set to rest 2 hours in fridge -Recommended.

Warm the oil to 180 degrees and shape small Ping-Pong balls using the palm of your hand (make sure they are moist) or using two spoons to form Quenelles.

 Before shaping the balls I always perform a test to see if the ball holds its shape so just place one ball in the hot oil to see if it holds -if it does not, than add a little bread crumbs  and perform the test again tull holds firmly.

Once the mix passes the test fry the balls until golden brown serve with Beetroot and sumac Tahini sauce,  garnish with a deep fried rosemary sprig.

For the beetroot tahini sauce:

Tahini Sauce:

●      250ml  “Tahini” paste

●      2-4 garlic cloves, minced

●      Salt to taste

●      juice of two lemons –or to taste

●      water to desired consistency

●      1 spoon chopped fresh parsley

●      1 large cooked beetroot peeled and diced into small cubes

●      1 spoon of dry Sumac spice ( commonly used spices from the Middle East with a light acid flavor and a deep red colour)

Combine tahini paste,diced beetroot, garlic, lemon juice and salt in a blender or food processor. Process until smooth; gradually blend in water for desired consistency. Mixture should be thick enough to deep the falafel balls and stick to them. Check seasoning.