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Recipe for falafel in Pita pockets

FALAFEL IN PITA POCKETS!



LIST OF INGREDIENTS:

Pita Bread-

  • Whole wheat flour 1cup
  • Refined flour 1/2 cup
  • Salt 1 tsp
  • Sugar 1 tsp
  • Olive oil 1 tbsp
  • Active dry yeast 1 tsp (if you dont have yeast you can substitute this with a mix of curd with a pinch of baking powder and baking soda, in this case you will have to rest the dough for minimum 2 hours)
Falafel-
  • Dried Chickpeas 1 cup (soaked overnight in water and drained)
  • Baking powder 1 tsp
  • Coriander and mint leaves
  • Garlic 4-5 cloves
  • 2 Green chillies 
  • 1 small Onion 
  • Cumin and coriander powder 1 tsp each
  • Salt as per liking
For the sandwich-
  • Hummus spread
  • Veggies of your choice, preferably pickled veggies (I used beetroot, carrots and jalapenos)
  • French fries
  • Mayonnaise
  • Lettuce/ cabbage leaves for the crunch
  • Schezwan/ Chilli sauce (I know its not a part of the authentic Lebanese cuisine but I love some spice in my sandwich😂)

INSTRUCTIONS:

So to start with first prepare the dough for the Pita bread so that you get enough time to rest the dough.
  1. In a large bowl, dissolve active dry yeast in 1/2 cup warm water. Add sugar and let it sit  for 4-5 minutes. Add olive oil, salt, flours (both whole wheat and refined) and knead into a nice soft dough. Add water as per requirement. Ensure the dough should be kneaded well till its smooth and elastic without any lumps. This takes around 6-7 mins.
  2. Place in a greased bowl. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1-1/2 hours.
  3. Punch dough down; let rest for 10 minutes. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide dough and shape each into a ball. Knead each ball for 1 minute. Cover and let rest for 20 minutes.
  4. Roll each ball into a circle. Place it on a plate, cover and let rise in a warm place for 15-20 mins.
  5. You can bake the pita bread in an oven or the simpler way is on a nonstick pan/griddle.
  6. For the oven, Bake at 475° for 8-10 minutes or until browned. For the other method heat the pan till its nice and hot, place the rolled out pita bread on the pan on medium heat and wait for bubbles to form on the surface (2-3 mins),once you see the bubbles flip it over and press from the sides so it puffs up nicely. Cook the other side and its done.
  7. Once the bread looks nicely cooked and brown you can remove it on a wire rack to cool down.
  8. Once cooled thoroughly cut the pita bread into halves so it forms a pocket to fill in.
For making the falafel balls:
  1. Add chickpeas, fresh herbs,green chillies, garlic, onion,salt and spices to food processor and pulse a little bit at a time until the mixture is finely ground. You’ll know it’s ready when the texture is more like coarse meal.
  2. Transfer the falafel mixture to a bowl, cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight. The chilled mixture will hold together better, making it easier to form the patties.Add some baking powder to this mixture before making the patties for a fluffier texture. You can also add in some toasted sesame seeds if you like.
  3. Scoop out medium sized balls and form your patties (do not flatten them too much, you want them to still be nice and fluffy when they’re cooked)
  4. Heat the oil on medium-high until it bubbles softly.Carefully drop the falafel in the oil and fry for 3-5 minutes until medium brown on the outside. Avoid over-crowding the falafel; fry them in batches if necessary.

⭐⭐You can also make some hummus for this sandwich as it compliments the pita bread really well and makes the sandwich even better. Its super simple, just grind together 1 cup boiled chickpeas, 1 tbsp sesame seeds, salt, white pepper, lemon juice, 3-4 cloves of garlic and 2-3 tbsp olive oil together, Form a super smooth paste and your hummus is ready.⭐⭐

ASSEMBLE THE SANDWICH!


  1.  Take half a pita bread, line the inside of the pocket with a lettuce/ cabbage leaf and put in loads of hummus, mayo and schezwan sauce.
  2. Add in the veggies of your choice, 2 falafel patties, french fries and again top up with some hummus and veggies for added flavor and a color pop!
  3. Assemble all the pita pockets and enjoy.. 😍😍

I know that there is a lot of procedure to make these but trust me its worth the effort! These pita pockets taste just amazing and will definitely satiate your cravings!

Do try them out and let me know how they turn out! 👍💛😀  

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