Name: Butternut squash falafel
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 35 min
Ingredients: 700g butternut squash or pumpkin; 2 Tbsp olive oil; 2 cloves of garlic, minced; 2 tsp ground cumin; ½ tsp ground coriander; a pinch of cayenne pepper; ½ tsp baking powder; 1 can of chickpeas (400g), drained; 1 handful of coriander (cilantro) leaves; 1 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice; Approx 100g chickpea flour (or plain flour); Salt & pepper; oil for cooking

Butternut squash falafel

12 May 2016

by Dinna

Prep Time

25 minutes

Cook Time

10 minutes

Total Time

35 minutes

Background

It's so easy to make falafels, yet we tend to buy ready-made ones! In the homemade versions you can add spices to your liking or combine other vegetables with the chickpeas, such as peas, sweet potatoes and so on. This butternut squash falafel was a great success - tasty, filling and super healthy! I made this dish using leftover roasted squash, so it was quick and easy - you can also pre-roast the squash if you'd like to save time! You can serve it the usual way (wrapped in flatbread with some sauce drizzled over it) or just with some green salad on the side.

Ingredients

700g butternut squash or pumpkin
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tsp ground cumin
½ tsp ground coriander
a pinch of cayenne pepper
½ tsp baking powder
1 can of chickpeas (400g), drained
1 handful of coriander (cilantro) leaves
1 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
Approx 100g chickpea flour (or plain flour)
Salt & pepper
oil for cooking

Instructions

Preheat oven. Peel the squash, remove the seeds, and cut the flesh into 2-3 cm cubes. Scatter these in a baking tray, drizzle with olive oil and roast at 200°C for 15-20 minutes, until tender. Let it cool.
With the exception of the flour, put everything into a food processor and blend to a coarse mixture. Season with salt and pepper to your taste.
Transfer this mixture to a bowl, add enough (chickpea) flour to make a workable dough. Cover, chill to rest for at least half an hour (an hour would be best).
Between your palms form golf ball sized dumplings. Rotate and coat these in chickpea flour, then fry them in deep, hot oil until golden.
Transfer them to a plate, lined with kitchen-paper to soak up the oil.