This falafel platter is a lavish combination of homemade crispy falafel, tzatziki sauce, harissa hummus, maple dijon tahini sauce, and an easy Middle Eastern cucumber tomato chopped salad. It will be the star of your dinner party or picnic.
Soak dry chickpeas in cold water overnight. Don't cook them.
Drain them and add them to a food processor. Add peeled and roughly chopped onion, garlic cloves, parsley, cilantro, salt, black pepper, cumin, baking soda, and water.
Blend until you got a creamy but not completely pureed texture.
Take a large bowl and empty the food processor into it. Chill the falafel mixture in the fridge for at least 1 hour. This is easier to form a ball after that.
Use a spoon or your palms and form balls or patties out of the chilled mixture.
Preheat a large pan over medium heat. Add sunflower oil or coconut oil (something that is high-heat resistant and suitable for deep frying).
Gently place the balls in the hot oil. Don’t overcrowd the pan. Fry them for approx. 5 minutes. They should be brown but not burnt and vibrant green in the middle.
The final falafel balls should look like the ones in the below picture.
How to make maple dijon tahini sauce?
Peel the garlic clove and measure all ingredients.
Add all ingredients to a blender or food processor (tahini, dijon mustard, maple syrup, garlic, apple cider vinegar, and water).
Blend it until you get a smooth sauce. The desired consistency is like a thick flowing paste. Add a tablespoon of water to adjust it if needed.
How to make tzatziki?
Wash the cucumber, but you don’t need to peel it. Use a large hole cheese grater and grate it.
Take a bowl and place the grated cucumber in it. Sprinkle it with salt and wait 5-10 minutes for the cucumber to release water.
When you see water, squeeze the grated cucumber in between your palms. Take your time with this step. If you leave a lot of moisture in it, you’ll have a runny sauce.
Take another bowl and add all sauce ingredients (yogurt, sour cream, white wine vinegar, olive oil, finely chopped garlic, dill, salt, and black pepper). Mix them well.
Finally, add the grated cucumber and mix again. Now it is ready to be added to your platter.
How to make harissa hummus?
This vitamix hummus recipe makes 3 cups of hummus, but we mixed only 1 cup with 1 Tbsp of harissa paste for this falafel platter.
How to make a chopped veggie salad?
Wash tomatoes, cucumber, and bell peppers. No need to peel any of them. Finely chop them into small equal pieces.
Peel onion and chop them into same-size pieces.
Chop fresh parsley and mint leaves finely.
Add all chopped ingredients with olive oil and freshly squeezed lemon juice in a mixing bowl. Add a bit of salt if needed.