I can’t believe that my baby doll turned 3 months old today. Each and every day gets more joyful as he has started to making sounds, plays and I am flattered when he gives that BIG smile when he sees me. Yes, being a parent is truly rewarding. To celebrate his 3rd month birthday (I know I know I am silly to celebrate every month but hey once I get back to work, I might not be to able to do so, so why not celebrate it when I have the opportunity? What do you say?) we took him to the temple and then I made something savory rather than sweet and it is the famous falafel. Falafel is one dish that satisfies both vegetarians and non alike. Although my son cannot eat it now, we all enjoyed it on his behalf.
Falafel balls ready to be fried
Recipe:
1 cup chickpeas or garbanzo beans soaked overnight
Handful of parsley
Handful of cilantro/coriander leaves
2 cloves of garlic
1 tsp of dhania powder
1 tsp of jeera powder
1 green chili finely chopped or per taste
Salt per taste
1 tsp sesame seeds white or black
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 small onion
Handful of breadcrumbs for binding
Vegetable or Canola oil for frying
Shredded lettuce leaves
For the Yogurt:
1 cup plain yogurt
1 clove of garlic finely grated
1 cucumber diced
Some dill leaves finely chopped
Some parsley leaves finely chopped
Salt per taste
1 small diced tomato (optional)
Coarsely grind the chickpeas along with onion, garlic, chili, parsley, cilantro. Add the spices, baking soda, sesame seeds, breadcrumbs and mix well. Roll into small balls and fry it in oil until it is crispy & golden brown. In a pita pocket or pita bread, place some lettuce leaves, cut the falafel balls into half and place it. Then add the yogurt mixture and tahini sauce. Relish this delicious middle eastern dish as we did.
Falafel served on a pita bread with lettuce and yogurt sauce ~ for My Legume Love Affair 10… Starters and Desserts and the MLLA host lineup
© 365 Days of Pure Vegetarian 
Falafel : my fav! 🙂
Thanks Sonu.
Mine too, love Falafel! 🙂
Mine too Asha.
I am so glad Sonu & Asha that you guys love falafel. It is such an easy recipe isn’t it yet very satisfying!
Thank you for your entry.Falafel is always a favorite.
Yes, it is always a favorite Courtney.
Yet another great post! I have a 3 and half month old, and I have baked a cake for each of her monthly birthdays. Felafel is a great idea for the next month :). I’m amazed that you’re finding time to keep posting wonderful recipes with your little one around. Here’s to the Big Smile that makes every moment worthwhile. Cheers!
Akshata, How have you been? Yes it is a challenge to make and post recipes but I really enjoy it. Did you try Falafal?
Just lovely!!
Thanks Divya.
Thats so inviting..enjoy
Thanks EC
I have heard about falafel a lot but never tried to find its recipe. After visiting your blog accidently,I’ve decided to try it this weekend.
Vandya,
Thanks for checking out the recipe and I am glad that you found the recipe for falafel. It is nothing but a pakodi with a different flare but tastes delicious. Give it a try and let me know. I am sure you will be impressed.
Thanks.
I too love falafels. Nice recipe.
Me too Manila. Thanks for your comments
hi,
this recipe is too good. this is the first time iam hearing about this dish and i think my 19 month old girl will enjoy it.
just like u , i too used to celebrate my girls monthly b’day,used to dress her up in fancy new clothes …. big cheers
i wish if u have ideas of kids recipes pls post them. i really run out of ideas when iam cooking for my daughter.
enjoy ,
Saveetha,
Thanks for checking out the recipe and I am glad I was able to give you something new. Yes, it is fun to celebrate every month’s birthday for our little one isn’t it?
Well, I do have some kid friendly recipes such as Chocolate Cups, Marie Biscuit Magic, Mini Muffins. Check those. Do let me know if you are looking for something specific and I will try to add it.
Thanks.
Saveetha, My son is only 9 months old. So by the time I get making real kid friendly food it is going to take some time but I surely will get there. Try any sandwich, idli, parathas etc and cut them into animal shapes using cookie cutters. It will make it interesting for the,.
very interesting recipe. Would love to try it out!
Thanks Renu. Give it a try.
I say YES! Cherish the moments you have with your new babe.
Beautiful falafel – love all those greens.
Looks so gud..am all tempted here
Thanks Susan. Glad you like it.
Thanks Priti. Glad it is tempting. Give it a try.
Sounds really good but I’m wondering; How do you coarsely grind the chickpeas, in a food processor or with a meat grinder or something? Also, soaking beans over night (which I do before cooking chickpeas for hummus) does not seem like it would get the beans soft enough for this application. Can someone speak about this?
Thanks
Tanuki
Tanuki,
Thanks for checking out the recipe. You can coarsely grind the chickpeas in a food processor. Also, just follow the recipe. All you need is to soak beans overnight and grind it not too smooth but just a little coarse. It will give a crispy outer skin and soft inside. Hope this helps.
Hi!
I love falafels, so I decided to try this recipe. The taste was fantastic (I LOVE the yogurt, dill, and cucumber spread!), but I couldn’t get the falafels to stick together. Can you give me some tips? I know that I must be doing something wrong!
Thanks! 🙂
Hi Harriette,
Thanks for checking out the recipe. If you can tell me exactly what you did, I may be able to help out. Basically you need to soak the chickpeas overnight and then sort of coarse grind it in the blender, add spices and other ingredients and make small balls out of it (like meat balls) and deep fry. Make sure there ain’t too much water when you grind the chickpeas. use as little water as possible. The ground mixture should almost be dry. I hope this helps.