Yummm. Throughout the summer we have been freezing our leftover tahini sauce, so today we broke it out to use up before we leave for the beach. We've also been experimenting with new, more authentic falafel recipes - those of you who have visited the Oasis or otherwise been fed by me will notice that these ones look a little different. The (highly inauthentic) way I learned to make them is to make a soft dough from canned chickpeas and roll them in egg and breadcrumbs before frying, resulting in a thin, crispy exterior surrounding a mushy, hummus-like interior. Delicious indeed, but I always wondered how middle eastern restaurants got their falafel so darn crunchy. Sometime this year I learned how: instead of breading a smooth dough (a European frying technique), the correct way to do it is to make a more gravelly dough out of home-cooked chickpeas and then fry that directly, sans breading. Since learning this we have experimented with levels of cooked-ness, spices, and binding agents, and this batch was definitely the best so far. This will probably be the new falafel available at the Oasis... unless the public revolts. I will post both recipes here, in case any one is commited to the familiar old style.
Today we had our falafs and tahini with some lemony green beans and some home-made pita, which, while decent, wasn't as good as the store-bought kind. If any one has any idea how to make pita that is both as pockety and as soft and pliable as what you get in the store, please let me know.
A tip for making falafel and other fried goods: SAVE YOUR OIL. Cook's Illustrated tested this and found that a mixture of mostly new oil and some old oil results in a better crisp than just new oil. Just make sure you filter out any leftover food bits because they will burn.
Falafel (Old, Inauthentic Style)
Serves 3 - 5
2 cans chickpeas, drained
1 egg 1/4 cup tahini
Cumin, turmeric, and cayenne to taste
Salt and pepper to taste Parsley, minced, to taste
2 eggs, beaten
Breadcrumbs, matzo meal, or panko
Find a way to mush up your chickpeas - if you have a food processor do that, otherwise put some in a plastic bag, squeeze out all of the air, seal it, and either stomp on it or hit it with something heavy, being CAREFUL not to break the bag. Double bagging can help. Once mashed, mix in the egg and tahini.
Now comes seasoning - I really have no idea how much of everything I use, and everyone likes it differently, so I reccomend just adding a little at a time. Start with the salt and parsley. Once those are right, add a hefty amount of cumin and turmeric and a FEW DASHES of cayenne. Crank it up from there. If your dough is very dry, add some water, and if it is very wet add some breadcrumbs. Roll the dough into 1" balls, roll the balls in your beaten egg, and then roll them in breadcrumbs.
Heat about an inch of oil on medium-high. Drop the balls into hot oil - they should start fizzling immediately and take about 1 - 2 minutes to turn a nice warm brown. Take your falafel out with a slotted METAL spoon and drain on paper towels. Adjust the heat of your oil as you go to make sure they cook at the right speed. You can cook about 3 at a time depending on the size of your pot - keep them warm in the oven as you go.
Falafel (New, Authentic Style)
Serves 4 - 6
1 1/2 cups dried chickpeas
1 egg 1/4 cup tahini
Cumin, turmeric, and
cayenne to taste
Salt and pepper to taste
Parsley, minced, to taste
Soak your chickpeas in a large bowl of room-temperature water overnight, or for as many hours as you can in advance. Bring them to a boil in their soaking water, and test them frequently as they cook. They are done when they are tender but still chewy, not so soft that they are easily crushed in your fingers. Harder than you're used to from canned chickpeas. You're really going to need some blades to get these properly crushed - either food process them to a rough grainy texture (not totally disintegrated), or if you're desperate, chop them for a long time with a very sharp knife. Put them in a bowl and mix in the egg and tahini.
Now comes seasoning - I really have no idea how much of everything I use, and everyone likes it differently, so I reccomend just adding a little at a time. Start with the salt and parsley. Once those are right, add a hefty amount of cumin and turmeric and a FEW DASHES of cayenne. Crank it up from there. The recipe we're using for these said to add no water, but that is very bad advice - it results in deathly dry falafs. Add a lot of water, but not so much that it won't still hold together into a patty.
Heat up about an inch of oil on medium-high. Form the dough into discs (results in crunchier falafs with more even cooking than spheres) and drop it into oil. The oil should sizzle immediately, and the falafs should take about 3 - 4 minutes to get brown. Take your falafel out with a slotted METAL spoon and drain on paper towels. Adjust the heat of your oil as you go to make sure they cook at the right speed. You can cook about 6 at a time depending on the size of your pot - keep them warm in the oven as you go.
Tahini Sauce
Makes 5 cups
2 cups yogurt
2 cups tahini
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup lemon juice, more to taste
2 cloves garlic, minced, more to taste
Mix everything in a big ol' bowl. Adjust the levels of lemon juice and garlic to taste, and be aware that tahini sauce thickens as it sits so you'll need to keep adding water as you reuse it. Now eat it all with a spoon and make another batch. Tahini freezes well in a ziplock bag or air-tight tupperware for at least a month. Add some more lemon juice to it when you thaw it out to freshen it up. Enjoy!
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