Falafel wrap with tahini sauce

Ingredients

Falafel mix (make the night before)

• 250 g dried chickpeas (do NOT use tinned — they won’t hold together)
• 1 small onion, roughly chopped
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 large handful fresh parsley (about 30 g)
• 1 large handful fresh cilantro (about 30 g)
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• ½ tsp baking soda (added just before frying)
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp black pepper
• ¼ tsp cayenne (optional)
• 2 tbsp plain flour (helps bind)

Tahini sauce

• 4 tbsp tahini
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 small garlic clove, crushed
• 2–3 tbsp cold water
• Pinch of salt

Quick pickle

• ½ red onion, thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp cider vinegar
• Pinch of salt and sugar

To serve

• 4 pita breads
• 1 little gem or romaine lettuce, shredded
• 1 tomato, diced
• ¼ cucumber, sliced
• Fresh parsley
• 1 litre neutral oil (sunflower or rapeseed) for deep-frying or shallow-frying

Method

1. Soak the chickpeas. The night before, rinse the dried chickpeas and cover with plenty of cold water — they’ll triple in size. Leave at room temperature for at least 12 hours, up to 24. Do not use tinned chickpeas — they’re already cooked and full of moisture, which means the falafel will be dense, gummy, and will fall apart in the pan. Dried chickpeas are non-negotiable.
2. Drain and pulse. Drain the soaked chickpeas very well (pat dry with a tea towel if needed). Tip into a food processor with the onion, garlic, parsley, cilantro, cumin, coriander, salt, pepper, and cayenne. Pulse in short bursts — you want a coarse paste that holds together when squeezed, not a smooth purée. Over-processing makes heavy falafel. Stir in the flour. Cover and rest in the fridge for at least 1 hour (the mix firms up and fries better cold).
3. Pickle the onions. Toss the sliced red onion with the vinegar, salt, and sugar. Set aside — they’re ready in 15 minutes and cut through the richness of the fried falafel.
4. Make the tahini sauce. Whisk tahini, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and 2 tbsp cold water — it’ll seize up and look broken at first. Keep whisking and add more water, a teaspoon at a time, until it’s smooth, pourable, and the colour of light peanut butter. Taste — it should be sharp, salty, and nutty.
5. Form the falafel. Just before frying, stir the baking soda into the rested mix. Scoop tablespoons of the mixture and shape into balls or small burgers — about 3 cm wide. Wet your hands slightly so the mix doesn’t stick.
6. Fry hot and fast. Heat 2–3 cm of oil in a heavy pan to 170–175 °C (a cube of bread should sizzle and turn golden in about 30 seconds). Fry the falafel in small batches — do not overcrowd the pan, or they’ll steam and go soggy instead of crisping. Cook 2–3 minutes, turning, until deeply brown and crisp on the outside. Drain on kitchen paper.
7. Warm pitas and build. Warm the pitas briefly in a dry pan. Spread with tahini sauce, then pile in falafel, shredded lettuce, tomato, cucumber, pickled onion, and fresh parsley. Squeeze over extra lemon if you like.

Tips

• The overnight chickpea soak is non-negotiable. If you’re short on time, do 12 hours minimum — 8 hours won’t cut it.
• Tinned chickpeas will give you dense, mushy falafel that falls apart. Even the best food processor can’t fix it. Use dried.
• Baking soda is the secret to puffy, light falafel — it reacts at the oil temperature and creates tiny air pockets inside. Add it at the very last moment, not to the resting mix.
• Don’t overcrowd the frying pan. Small batches in properly hot oil is the difference between crisp and soggy. Soggy falafel is the most common failure.
• Bake them if you must (200 °C, spritz with oil, 20 minutes), but they’ll never be truly crisp. Frying is the point.
• Falafel mix keeps well in the fridge for 2 days — make it ahead and fry when needed. Uncooked falafel also freezes brilliantly; fry from frozen with an extra minute.