Carrot Falafels With Yoghurt and Tahini Dipping Sauce

Fiona Inglis

Cook Time 20 mins

Servings 4 - 6

Ingredients

180g grated carrots
400g can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 red onion, very finely diced
1 garlic clove, crushed
¼ tsp smoked paprika
½ tsp ground cumin
½ tsp baking powder
3 tbs potato flour or rice flour
2 egg whites
salt and pepper
Panko (japanese) breadcrumbs – they are not as fine and get a better crunch for coating
Vegetable oil (for deep frying)

Dipping Sauce
1 tsp tahini
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 lemon, juiced
1 1/2 cups good thick greek yoghurt
honey
salt and pepper

Method

Peel and grate carrots coarsely. Chop onion and garlic finely.

Place the carrots, rinsed chickpeas, onion, garlic, paprika, cumin, baking powder, potato flour, egg-whites and freshly ground salt and pepper into a food processor and process until it comes together. You want the mixture to have some texture, so don’t over process until it forms a puree.

Scrape mixture into a bowl – if the mixture seems to be a little wet add a handful of bread-crumbs just to help the mixture hold together.

Form mixture into golf size balls by rolling between your the palm of your hands – then roll balls into bread-crumbs so they are coated.

Heat oil in a large pot or deep fryer until 180 degrees. Fry balls for approximately 1 – 2 minutes until golden brown. Drain on paper towel.

To make the dipping sauce, crush garlic finely and add to a bowl with yoghurt, tahini, salt, pepper and a pinch of sugar. Add lemon juice and adjust seasoning to balance if needed.

Serve warm falafels with dipping sauce on side.