Courgette falafel
These vegan and gluten-free Courgette falafels are made using the traditional process – i.e. fried with raw, pre-soaked chickpeas rather than cooked ones. So they are crunchy on the outside, softly textured on the inside. It’s important to pre-soak the chickpeas overnight – also the falafel mixture needs resting before frying. These falafels are perfect for parties and picnics – either as nibbles with a dip (for examplecourgette tzatziki) or stuffed in pitta bread with condiments of your choice.
Ingredients
Method
- Grate the courgette into a sieve, add the salt and rest for 30 minutes over a bowl. Squeeze out the excess moisture using the base of a spoon against the sieve.
- Put the courgette into a large mixing bowl.
- Drain the chickpeas and add to the courgette. Add the spices, garlic, onion, herbs and chickpea flour. Season with salt & pepper (you can add a pinch of cayenne if you like). Combine well.
- Put half of the mixture into a food processor and blend, scraping down the sides of the food processor as necessary. When you get a coarse mixture, resembling couscous, transfer it into a bowl. Repeat the processing with the remaining mixture.
- Combine well the two blends and cover the bowl with clingfilm, then chill for 2 hours (or place in the freezer for 20 minutes).
- Add the bicarb to the falafel mixture and combine well, then form small patties or balls. Put them on a plate.
- Heat some grapeseed oil in a small, deep pan to the depth of 3 cm. Fry 4-5 falafels at a time for about 2-3 minutes per side, or until golden brown. Add more oil to the pan as necessary.
- Transfer the falafels onto a plate, lined with paper kitchen towels.