Outrageous orange infused falafel
I know orange falafel sounds weird. The orange cuts through the musky undertones of the chickpeas and cumin and gives lighter note to the falafel. Serve it in a wrap with generous serving of crisp lettuce and a few dollops of natural yogurt, the sweetness of a few cherry tomatoes and topped with a sprinkle of tangy feta, yumminess. For little one it makes for a perfect snack or lunch on its own or dipped in yogurt – if you don't mind the mess. Enjoy my outrageous mash-up: the taste of a Seville orange in a middle eastern falafel.
Makes 6 – 8 falafels
Ingredients
Tin of chickpeas (drained thoroughly)
1 tsp of large (Seville) naval orange zest finely grated (any orange would work!)
1 tsp coriander
¼ tsp cumin
½ tbsp fresh parsley finely chopped
4 spring onions
2 tbsp flour
Sunflower oil for frying
Method
1. Place all ingredients except flour in a food processor and blend. Put the falafel mix in a bowl and mix through flour.
2. Make balls slightly larger than a golf ball by pressing and rolling the the mixture
3. Put oil in a frying pan so it's around ½ cm deep. Put on a medium-high heat; you can test the oil is at the right temperature by putting a small bit of bread in, if bubbles form around it then the oil is at the right temperature – it needs to be hot enough to prevent the falafel absorbing lots of oil but cool enough that it will cook throughout without burning on the outside.
4. Fry falafels for around 8-12 mins turning around to evenly cook. Once cooked the will be crispy on the outside and soft and moist, but cooked on the inside.
Tips
The falafels can be frozen on a baking paper lined baking tray, once frozen pop them into a freezer bag/container. Defrost in fridge and gently re-heat in fan oven 180 for 10-15 mins or eat cold. If making for grown-ups you need around ¼ tsp salt to be added before blending. Serve it in a wrap with generous serving of crisp lettuce and a few dollops of natural yogurt, the sweetness of a few cherry tomatoes and topped with a sprinkle of tangy feta, yumminess. For little one it makes for a perfect snack or lunch on its own or dipped in yogurt – if you don't mind the mess.
Facts
Falafels were first eaten by the Egyptians, they are now a common street food across the Middle East. Falafel became so popular that McDonalds for a time served a "McFalafel" in its breakfast menu all over Egypt.