Falafel in pitta
Chickpea and fenugreek fritters in pitta with hummus, tahini, crunchy salad and hot chilli sauce
A full falafel meal: crisp chickpea fritters flavoured with fenugreek, spinach, chilli and ginger are stuffed into pitta pockets spread with hummus and tahini, then packed with a crunchy cabbage, cucumber and carrot salad and a fiery home-made red chilli sauce. Serve with green, red and tamarind chutneys.
- Total time
- 70 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
- 6 pitta breads12–15 halves; or the naan recipe
- 6 tbsp hummussee the hummus recipe
- 6 tbsp tahini dipsee the tahini dip recipe
For the fritters
- 14 oz dried chickpeas2 cups, soaked overnight
- 3 tsp green chilli paste
- ½ tsp ginger paste
- 2 tbsp fresh corianderfinely chopped
- 2 tbsp oil
- 1 cup fenugreek and spinach leaveschopped
- 1 tsp sugarto taste
- 1 tsp saltto taste
- 1 tbsp lemon juiceto taste
- oilfor deep frying
For the hot sauce
- 1 cup red chillieschopped
- ½ cup tomato sauce (ketchup)½ cup
- ½ cup vinegar½ cup
- 1 tsp garlicchopped
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- ½ tsp saltto taste
- 1 tbsp jaggeryto taste
For the salad
- 1 cup white cabbageshredded
- ½ cup cucumberchopped
- ½ cup spring onionschopped
- ½ cup carrotgrated
- 1 cup tomatoeschopped
- 4 ½ oz plain yogurt (optional)½ cup
- ¼ tsp saltto taste
- ½ tsp sugarto taste
- 1 tsp lemon juiceto taste
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What you'll need
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Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Drain 14 oz dried chickpeas and grind them coarsely in a blender with 3 tsp green chilli paste and ½ tsp ginger paste, adding a few spoonfuls of water.
Step 2: Mix in 2 tbsp fresh coriander, 2 tbsp oil, 1 cup fenugreek and spinach leaves, 1 tsp sugar, 1 tsp salt and 1 tbsp lemon juice to a thick, dropping consistency.
Step 3: Heat oil in a deep pan to 350°F. Drop in spoonfuls of the mixture, a few at a time, to make 2 cm fritters.
Step 4: Deep-fry for 3–4 minutes until brown and crisp. Drain on kitchen paper and keep aside.
15 minStep 5: Mix 1 cup white cabbage, ½ cup cucumber, ½ cup spring onions, ½ cup carrot, 1 cup tomatoes, 4 ½ oz plain yogurt, ¼ tsp salt, ½ tsp sugar and 1 tsp lemon juice and toss well.
Step 6: Blend 1 cup red chillies, ½ cup tomato sauce (ketchup), ½ cup vinegar, 1 tsp garlic, 1 tsp cumin seeds, ½ tsp salt and 1 tbsp jaggery to a smooth hot sauce.
Step 7: Cut 6 pitta breads in half and open up the pockets. Spread 6 tbsp hummus and 6 tbsp tahini dip inside each pocket.
Step 8: Fill with salad, fritters and hot sauce to your taste, and top with more salad. Serve with green, red and tamarind chutneys.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 560 kcal
- Protein
- 20 g
- Carbs
- 75 g
- Fat
- 21 g
- Fibre
- 15 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does falafel in pitta take?
- About 70 minutes in total: 45 minutes to prepare and 25 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of dried chickpeas?
- Cannellini or butter beans, same amount.
- What can I use instead of green chilli paste?
- 1 finely chopped green chilli per tsp.
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