Falafel (with Kofta, Salad, Labneh, and Rice)

Well, my friend and I continue to up our Iftar game: last weekend I made kofta with tahini sauce and salad while she made falafel and rice. We also had some (store bought) labneh with a Sadaf yogurt dip seasoning that I could eat endlessly. I already realized that I love thick yogurt with mint, but the seasoning with labneh?! Holy smokes. I can't wait to eat it with some buttery eggs.

Our dinner was spectacular, with very low stress and total ease on our parts while cooking. We made enough to last 2 rounds of leftovers, and it feels like such a treat. While I did not make the falafel myself, I am pasting her recipe for my future preparations. She has made this several times and it is one of my fave falafel recipes - particularly because it is not a smooth paste, it is more chunky. The result is a more toothsome falafel that is also heavily herbed with cilantro and parsley, which was just so perfect on the warm weekend. I was swooning all of Iftar!

The main thing to note for this falafel (and really the best falafel, in my opinion), is to use uncooked chickpeas. Which means you need dry ones that you then soak overnight. They will expand to 3 times their size, so you need a big bowl and plenty of water. The chickpeas cook when you fry them. Yum.

 Falafel - makes 32 (or so)

• 2 c dry (uncooked) chickpeas/garbanzo beans
• 1 c chopped parsley
• 3/4 c chopped cilantro
• 1-2 minced serrano peppers (with seeds)
• 1 med onion, chopped small
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 T toasted sesame seeds (opt)
• 1 1/2 heaping tsp ground cumin  
• 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 3-4 T chickpea flour (or other GF flour)
• Grapeseed or Avocado oil for frying

1. Soak dry chickpeas in water for at least 8 hours overnight, up to 24 hours.
2. Grind chickpeas in a food processor until it resembles course salt/coarse breadcrumbs (not smooth).
3. Mix in all other ingredients, holding the flour.
   
4. Slowly add in flour until mixture is able to be formed into a ball w/out falling apart.
5. Form balls (or ovals) with hands (wetting hands first helps); let rest 30 minutes.
6. Deep fry or pan fry falafel until golden brown and crispy. Place on paper towel to remove excess oil and serve warm. (We did this in my wok, which worked pretty perfectly.)
   

My salad was tomatoes, parsley, cilantro, cucumber, green onions and some spinach, dressed with olive oil, lemon juice, salt and a little red wine vinegar. It was so good with the tahini sauce and seasoned labneh and the falafel. All the herbs! The fresh lemon! The kofta!