serves
6
prep
15 minutes
cook
40 minutes
difficulty
Easy
serves
6
people
preparation
15
minutes
cooking
40
minutes
difficulty
Easy
level
Enjoy this wonderful Greek vegan and vegetarian recipe any time of the day.
Ingredients
- 225 g (8 oz) dried chickpeas, picked over and rinsed
- 1 cup finely chopped onions
- 1 medium firm, ripe tomato, grated
- ¼ cup finely chopped fresh mint
- 1 heaped tsp ground cumin (optional)
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1½-2¼ tbsp plain (all-purpose flour)
- ¾-1 cup plain (all-purpose) flour for dredging the patties
- Olive or other vegetable oil for frying, as needed
For the tahini sauce
- ⅔ cup tahini
- 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp + 1 tsp (45 ml) extra-virgin Greek olive oil
- 1-2 tbsp water, and/or more, as needed
- 1½-2¼ tbsp strained fresh lemon juice, and/or more, as needed
- Dash of hot sauce or Aleppo pepper
- Pinch of ground cumin
- Salt
Soaking time: 8 hours or overnight.
Instructions
Soak the chickpeas for 8 hours or overnight in ample water to soften them. Drain, place in a pot with ample fresh water, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer the chickpeas until soft, about 1½ hours. Remove from the heat, drain and rinse.
Place the chickpeas in a food processor fitted with the metal blade and pulse on and off until they are coarse and mealy.
Combine the ground chickpeas with the onions, tomato, mint and cumin, and season with salt and pepper. Add enough flour to make a dense mass that can be shaped into individual patties.
Spread the remaining flour on a large plate. Take about 1½-2 tablespoons at a time of the chickpea mixture and shape into large, flat patties. Heat about 3 mm (¼ inch) of olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is very hot, dredge the patties lightly in flour, tapping off any excess, and fry a batch until golden, flipping once to cook both sides, 2 to 4 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and let drain on paper towels. Continue until all the chickpea patties are fried, replenishing the olive oil if necessary.
Serve hot, warm, or at room temperature, wiht tahini sauce.
To make the tahini sauce: Place the tahini, garlic, olive oil, and 1½ tablespoons each of water and lemon juice in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until smooth and thick. Add the garlic and olive oil and pulse to puree and combine. Add additional water and lemon juice in a few teaspoons at a time, pulsing after each addition, until the mixture is creamy, smooth, and spreadable. Season with the hot sauce, cumin and salt to taste and serve.
Cook's Notes
Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.
Enjoy this wonderful Greek vegan and vegetarian recipe any time of the day.
