Middle Eastern Falafel

Middle Eastern Falafel -

Middle Eastern falafel are great stuffed into pitta bread and smothered in fresh tomato sauce for a sure-to-please vegetarian dish.

INGREDIENTS:

400 g canned chickpeas, drained
1 small onion, peeled
1 clove garlic, peeled
1 pinches dried red chilli flakes, (optional)
2 sprigs coriander, parsley or mint
0.5 tsp ground coriander
0.5 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp flour
freshly ground sea salt and black pepper
vegetable oil, for shallow frying

METHOD:

Put all the falafel ingredients less the flour and oil into the a blender and blitz to a chunky paste. Stir the mixture, add the flour and a tablespoon of water and blitz again to combine. Shape into 4 patties and flatten slightly.
Cover the base of a frying pan with olive oil and heat until hot but not smoking. Fry the falafel for 3-4 minutes on each side, until golden and cooked through. Drain on kitchen paper.