Homemade Falafel in Fresh Pita Bread
Introduction: Homemade Falafel in Fresh Pita Bread
Falafel in Pita is a staple of Israeli cuisine. You can find a falafel stand almost on every other street corner. When you buy it, you get a pita absolutely overflowing with salads, falafel and flavor! (at which point you start eating, trying to keep it off all your clothes).
Since there are no falafel stands anywhere close to where I currently live, I put together all the parts for making a great Falafel in Pita at home - It really isn't that difficult.
It starts from a Pita bread recipe baked in the oven (which even bakes with a pocket) and with a trick to keep it nice and soft. The falafel balls are flavored with garlic, and lots of herbs and spices. And I added what for me are the most necessary salads - red cabbage mayonnaise, the most simple vegetable salad, good hummus and spicy zhug.
Supplies
Pita Bread:
1kg all purpose flour
4 tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. salt
500 ml water (warm water in winter)
10 gr dry yeast (20gr in winter)
a small amount of oil - to keep the dough from sticking
Falafel balls:
2 cups dry chickpeas
1 slice of bread
5 garlic cloves
1 tsp. Cumin powder
1 tsp. Paprika powder
1 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. salt
1 small onion
1/3 cup fresh parsley
1/2 cup fresh coriander
1 tbsp. sesame seeds
1 tsp. coriander seeds
2 tsp. baking soda
Red cabbage mayonnaise salad:
1/2 large red cabbage
3/4 tsp. 863
salt
2 tbsp. mayonnaise
3 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tsp real maple syrup
Simplest Vegetable salad- 1 tomato, 1 cucumber, salt, pepper and lemon juice to taste.
Fries - 1 large potato
Hummus - This is the recipe I use.
Zhug (a very spicy pepper paste)- there is a recipe, but you can also substitute it with fresh or pickled sliced chilli peppers.
Step 1: Pita Bread- 1. Making the Dough
Mix the flour, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Add the yeast and make sure it get evenly distributed.
Slowly add the water, while kneading the dough.
Kneed the dough for 10 minutes, until is uniform and soft.
Place the ball of dough in an oiled bowl. Cover with cling-wrap and a damp towel. Place somewhere warm to rise for about 30-60 minutes.
Step 2: Pita Bread- 2. Baking (and Special Tricks)
Preheat oven to 250C.
Remove the dough from the bowl and pull into a long sausage. Cut into 8-10 equal pieces.
Roll each into a ball, cover again and let rest for 10 minutes.
On a baking sheet place the balls and flatten them to about 1/2 cm.
Bake till they are golden brown 3-6 minutes - don't let them out of your sight, this is really fast!
A special trick to keep them soft (that I discovered online):
Prepare a clean cloth kitchen towel and a plastic bag.
Remove the pita breads from the oven immediately onto the towel and fold them inside for 1 minute - then place them in the plastic bag and close it completely... It works!
Step 3: Falafel- 1. Chickpea Preparation
Place the chickpeas in a large bowl, and cover with water. Leave to soak overnight, or at least 12 hours.
Soaking overnight will double the size of the chickpeas, so make sure the bowl is big enough and has enough water.
Step 4: Falafel- 2. Making the Mixture
Soak a slice of bread in water. Meanwhile, wash and drain the soaked chickpeas.
Chop the onion and the fresh parsley and coriander into very small pieces.
Squeeze the water out of the bread and crumble it over the chickpeas. Add the cumin, paprika powder, salt, pepper and garlic.
Grind them together into a uniform grainy paste.
Add the flour, chopped onion and herbs.
Lightly blend together.
Mix in the sesame seeds and coriander seeds.
Cover and leave to rest in the fridge for 30-60min.
Note:
At this point you can put the mix in a sealed container and freeze it for later.
Step 5: Falafel- 3. 702