8 celebrity-approved restaurants to visit around Ireland
8 celebrity-approved restaurants to visit around Ireland

Sarah Gill

From Spice Girls to The Den: An ode to growing up in 1990s Ireland
From Spice Girls to The Den: An ode to growing up in 1990s Ireland

Geraldine Carton

What to bake this weekend: Avoca’s chocolate and Guinness cake
What to bake this weekend: Avoca’s chocolate and Guinness cake

Sarah Finnan

Real Weddings: Catherine and Chris’ St Patrick’s Day wedding in Co Meath
Real Weddings: Catherine and Chris’ St Patrick’s Day wedding in Co Meath

Shayna Sappington

An architect’s advice if you’re planning the perfect extension
An architect’s advice if you’re planning the perfect extension

IMAGE

Tips for a budget-friendly wedding, from a professional planner
Tips for a budget-friendly wedding, from a professional planner

Shayna Sappington

This beachside Connemara home is on the market for €2.8 million
This beachside Connemara home is on the market for €2.8 million

Megan Burns

You can rent a room in The Merrion Hotel for a cool €7k a month
You can rent a room in The Merrion Hotel for a cool €7k a month

IMAGE

The IMAGE staffers on the spring accessories they’re shopping for this season
The IMAGE staffers on the spring accessories they’re shopping for this season

Sarah Gill

Venting, oversharing, or straight up trauma dumping — when does confiding in friends turn toxic?
Venting, oversharing, or straight up trauma dumping — when does confiding in friends turn toxic?

Sarah Gill

Image / Living / Food & Drink

Supper Club: Traditional chickpea falafel pockets


By Meg Walker
31st Jul 2023
Supper Club: Traditional chickpea falafel pockets

Never tried making your own falafel before? This vegan recipe is very easy and makes for a nice change to the usual Monday night dinner.

Surely you have tasted, or maybe even prepared, one version of this classic falafel recipe? An intensive 24-hour soak makes the chickpeas properly soft, which gives a lovely moist yet light mixture that is easy to digest.

Traditional chickpea falafel pockets
Makes 24-26 small falafels

Ingredients

  • 180g dried chickpeas
  • 80g chopped onion
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1 bunch fresh parsley, leaves only
  • 2 tsp ground coriander
  • ½ tsp bread soda
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1/8 tsp chilli powder
  • 1 – tsp salt
  • 230ml oil, for frying

Serving suggestion

  • 4 pitta pockets
  • tahini sauce
  • raw vegetables (such as sliced tomatoes, cucumber, lettuce, rocket, parsley, spring onions)

Method

  1. Soak the chickpeas in plenty of water for 12 hours. Drain, discarding the water, cover with fresh water and let soak for another 12 hours. Drain, rinse well and let drain again for another 5 minutes.
  2. It’s best to use a food processor fitted with an ?S? blade for blending the falafel mix, even though it can also be done in a good blender, in two batches.
  3. First blend the drained chickpeas; the texture should resemble coarse sand. Add all the remaining ingredients (except the frying oil) and blend until you get a paste. Cover with clingfilm and let sit in the fridge for 1 hour, or longer.
  4. Roll into walnut-sized balls, wetting your hands once in a while to prevent sticking.
  5. Deep-fry the falafels in hot oil for 4 minutes or until nicely browned. Because we’re using soaked chickpeas, these falafels need to be deep-fried to make them digestible – baking them wouldn’t work.
  6. Warm the pitta pockets, fill with vegetables of your choice, add falafel balls and serve with the tahini sauce. Yum!

Extracted from Falafel Forever by Dunja Gulin (Ryland, Peters & Small). Photography by Tim Atkins.