What to Cook: Falafel Sambo with Raw Vegetable Tabbouleh

Clarissa & Florian Sehn’s Falafel Sandwich with Raw Vegetable Tabbouleh

This is our version of a falafel sandwich: we fry the chickpea patties in a pan and serve them with tabbouleh and a lime, mint and dill dip.

Makes 4

Preparation time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

For the raw vegetable tabbouleh
1 bunch flat-leaf parsley
? bunch mint
200g cauliflower florets (about – head)
100g cherry tomatoes
3 spring onions
? untreated lemon
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp honey or agave syrup
salt
freshly ground pepper

For the lime, mint and dill dip (vegan)
? bunch mint
? bunch dill
2 untreated limes
300g soya yoghurt
1 tsp honey or agave syrup
salt
white pepper

For the falafel
1 small red onion
1 clove garlic
1 tin chickpeas (drained weight 240g)
1 tsp harissa paste
1 tsp ground coriander seeds
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp cumin
salt
freshly ground pepper
3 tbsp olive oil

To serve
4 herb pitas
a few iceberg lettuce leaves

Method
For the tabbouleh, wash and shake dry the parsley and mint. Combine with the cauliflower in a blender and chop uniformly. Quarter the tomatoes, and trim, wash and finely slice the spring onions. Rinse the lemon under hot water, squeeze the juice and grate the zest. Mix with the olive oil, honey or agave syrup. Season with salt and pepper.

For the lime, mint and dill dip, wash, shake dry and chop the mint and dill. Rinse the limes under hot water, pat dry and grate the zest. Combine 2 tbsp of lime juice with all the ingredients and mix until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. It can keep in the refrigerator for about one week.

For the falafel patties, peel the onion and garlic. Drain the chickpeas in a sieve. Combine the onions, garlic and chickpeas with the spices in a blender and blend to a smooth paste. Season with salt and pepper, and shape into 8 patties. Heat olive oil in a frying pan. Fry each of the patties over a high temperature on both sides until crispy.

For the sandwiches, cut the pitas in half across the middle. Wash and shake dry the lettuce leaves. Fill each of the pitas with lettuce, tabbouleh, two patties and dip, and serve.

You can use the rest of the cauliflower to make cauliflower slices. Simply cut the cauliflower into slices and boil in salted water, keeping them firm. Crumb the slices and fry until crispy.

Extracted from Veggie Fast Food by Clarissa & Florian Sehn (Grub Street, approx €16), out now. Photography by Maria Brinkop.