PREPARATION

1. Soak the chickpeas in cold water overnight.
2. Chop the onion in quarters and add with the clove of garlic, chili pepper, parsley and coriander in a food processor and pulse a few times.
3. Drain the chickpeas and add them to the food processor and pulse a couple of times again. The chickpea mixture should be small chunks and when you squeeze the mixture in your hands it should be sticking together.
4. Add the cumin, salt, baking powder and flour to the mixture and combine. Shape and squeeze the falafel in balls or any other shape you like. If the mixture is to wet and you cannot form balls, add a bit more flour.
5. In the meantime make the tahini sauce by simply mixing everything together and add more water if the sauce is still too thick.
6. The pickled onions are key to this dish and contrasts the fried falafel and creamy tahini sauce with its tangy flavour, giving this dish a kick! Make the pickled onions by dissolving the sugar and salt in the vinegar and add the thinly sliced red onions. Squeeze it gently in your hands and let it sit for about 10 minutes or longer. The longer, the better!
7. Now let’s finish the falafel. Heat a layer of sunflower oil in a large pan. It should be enough so that the falafel is fully covered when frying. Turn up the heat to 170C, you can test it with a thermometer or by putting a piece of bread in the oil. When it starts floating and sizzling the oil is hot enough for the falafel.
8. Fry the falafel in batches for a couple of minutes until brown and crispy and transfer to a paper towel for a minute and serve immediately while still hot! Serve with flatbreads and a tomato, cucumber and parsley salad!