Falafel with creamy yoghurt

Whether you like your falafel green and herbaceous, or pungently garlicky, there's no denying that this Middle Eastern street food is highly addictive! The Chefs' Line

• serves

  2-4

• prep

  20 minutes

• cook

  15 minutes

• difficulty

  Mid

Ingredients

• 200 g (1 cup) dried chickpeas, soaked in cold water overnight 
• ½ large onion, finely grated
• 1 tsp salt 
• ½ tsp hot paprika
• ¼ tsp sweet paprika 
• 3 garlic cloves, finely grated  
• ½ tsp ground cumin 
• 1 egg
• 4-5 tsp plain flour 
• Vegetable oil, for deep- frying 
• 1 green capsicum, finely grated
• 260 g (1 cup) thick strained Greek yoghurt
• salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• ½ bunch parsley, finely chopped
• ½ red onion, finely sliced
• Drizzle of pomegranate molasses 
• 1 tbsp shredded horseradish, soaked in red wine vinegar
• Lebanese bread with za’atar, to serve

Soaking time: overnight

Instructions

Drain the chickpeas and place in the bowl of a food processor. Add the onion, salt, hot paprika, sweet paprika, garlic and cumin and process until blended (not puréed). Add the egg and half the flour and pulse to combine. Add the remaining flour and pulse until the dough forms a ball and doesn’t stick to your hand.

Heat the oil for deep-frying in a deep saucepan over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium. Shape a small portion of chickpea mixture into a small ball. When the oil is hot, add the test falafel and if it falls apart, add a little more flour to the remaining mixture. Shape the mixture into small balls or flat rounded shapes (or use a falafel scoop) and deep-fry until golden. Drain on paper towel.

Combine the capsicum and yoghurt in a bowl, season with salt and pepper.

Combine the parsley, red onion and pomegranate molasses in a bowl. Serve the falafel with the shredded horseradish, capsicum yoghurt, parsley salad and Lebanese bread with za'atar.

This recipe is from Series 2 of The Chefs' Line airing weeknights at 6pm on SBS. Episodes will be available after broadcast via SBS On Demand. Join the conversation #TheChefsLine on Instagram @sbsfood, Facebook @SBSFood  and Twitter @SBS_Food. Check out sbs.com.au/thechefsline for episode guides, cuisine lowdowns, recipes and more! 

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.