Falafel Salad Bowl With Herbed Yoghurt Dressing

Try this vegetarian feast packed with flavour and texture- it's the perfect dish for lunch.

24/03/2021

 

 

 

Looking for something different for lunch today? This vegetarian salad is filled with delicious flavour and it is the perfect meal for a midday snack on the weekend or lunch with a few friends. You can make the falafel mix the day before and then all you have to do is to roll it into balls and chill in the refrigerator until you’re ready to drop them into a pot of hot oil.

Accompanied by  herbed yoghurt dressing, this brings a cool, creamy texture and taste that ties the dish together in a fresh and yummy way.

Pour yourself a glass of Spier Seaward Shiraz. This tall, dark and handsome Shiraz brings a delicious dash when accompanying grilled meats or a charcuterie platter. Spier Seaward Shriaz is made with only grapes handpicked in the Cape’s Coastal region and it offers an deliciously intense mix of mulberry, violets and pepper flavours; added to that, a 14 month period of maturing in wood gives it suavely smooth tannins.

 

GOOD TO KNOW: Both the beans and chickpeas should be soaked overnight, so it is a good idea to prep this a day in advance. For those who prefer to use chickpeas only, measure 2 cups of chickpeas.

 

Ingredients: (Serves 4 to 6)

YOU WILL NEED:

 

For the falafels:

• 1 cup dried chickpeas
• 1 cup dried beans (split broad beans, butter beans or heerenbone)
• water, for soaking
• ½ onion, roughly chopped
• 30 ml (2 tablespoons) lemon juice
• 20 g parsley
• 20 g coriander leaves
• 3 garlic cloves
• 5 ml (1 teaspoon) ground coriander
• 5 ml (1 teaspoon) ground cumin
• 1 ml (¼ teaspoon) ground nutmeg
• 1 ml (¼ teaspoon) ground cinnamon
• 5 ml (1 teaspoon) salt
• 2,5 ml (½ teaspoon) baking soda
• vegetable oil, for frying

 

HERE'S HOW:

1. Place the chickpeas and beans in a bowl and cover with water. Leave to soak overnight (8 to 12 hours). Drain off all the water before adding it to a food processor.

2. Before blitzing it in the food processor, add lemon juice, onion, coriander and coriander leaves, parsley, garlic, cumin, nutmeg, cinnamon, as well as baking soda and salt. Blitz until the paste is nice and smooth a relatively smooth paste, scraping the sides and blitzing until the ingredients are fully combined but before it becomes too mushy.

3. Place in refrigerator for 30 minutes and then roll into meatball sized balls (about 4cm diameter).

4. Pre-heat the oil to deep fry the falafels in small batches, cooking until golden brown.

5. Drain on a kitchen towel and serve at once with the prepared salad bowls and yoghurt dressing (recipe and method below).

 

 

 

 

 

 

YOU WILL NEED:

 

For the herbed yoghurt dressing:

• ¾ cup Greek yoghurt
• 15-30 ml of lemon juice
• a handful of fresh parsley
• a handful of fresh chives
• 5 ml Dijon mustard
• salt and pepper

 

HERE'S HOW:

 

1. Use a blender to combine the lemon juice, yoghurt, mustard and herbs. Add seasoning and then blend until smooth and creamy. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

 

 

 

 

 

 

YOU WILL NEED:

 

For the salad bowls:

• a bunch of fresh salad leaves
• shredded carrot and/or beans
• choice of roasted vegetables  (butternut, cauliflower or aubergine)
• pickled onions
• freshly fried falafels (see above)
• yoghurt dressing (see above)
• sesame seeds for sprinkling

 

HERE'S HOW:

 

1. Place all the salad leaves, vegetables, pickled onions and falafels in bowls and top generously with the yoghurt dressing. Dress with a sprinkling of sesame seeds.