Name: Falafel with Tahini Yoghurt
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 815 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Ingredients: 250 g chickpeas, dried (not tinned, or the mixture becomes too soft); 1 slice sandwich bread, stale, crumbled; 1 onion, roughly chopped; 3 cloves garlic; 1 bunch flat-leaf parsley, leaves; 0.5 bunch fresh coriander, leaves; 1.5 tsp ground cumin; 1 tsp ground coriander; 1.5 tsp salt; pepper (to taste); 1 tsp baking powder; 2 tbsp plain flour; 600 ml neutral oil for deep-frying (at least 2 cm deep in the pot); 200 g plain yoghurt; 3 tbsp tahini (sesame paste); 2 tbsp lemon juice; 1 clove garlic, finely grated; 2 tbsp water (as needed to thin); 0.25 tsp salt (more to taste); 4 flatbread or pitta (to serve); 1 lemon, cut into wedges (to serve)

Preparation

Soak the chickpeas in plenty of cold water for at least 12 hours, then drain well.
Finely chop the bread, onion, garlic, parsley, coriander and chickpeas in a blender or food processor until the mixture looks like a coarse purée and holds together when squeezed.
Season with cumin, ground coriander, salt and pepper, knead in the flour and baking powder and shape the mixture into about 24 walnut-sized balls. If the mixture is too crumbly, add 1 to 2 tbsp water. Chill the balls for 30 minutes.
For the dip, stir the tahini with the lemon juice and water until smooth. The paste first stiffens and then turns smooth again with the water. Then stir in the yoghurt, garlic and salt and taste.
Heat the oil to about 180 to 190 °C; it is hot enough when plenty of bubbles rise around the handle of a wooden spoon. Deep-fry the falafel in batches for about 4 to 5 minutes until golden brown.
Drain on kitchen paper and serve hot with lemon wedges, tahini yoghurt and flatbread.

Drink with it

Pale lager · excellent match
Helles lager or pilsner, cold
Carbonation and light bitterness clear the frying fat and the tahini richness without drowning the spices.
Pils or Helles: What's the Difference?
White wine · excellent match
Grüner Veltliner or Sauvignon Blanc
Peppery spice and acidity suit the herbs and cumin and loosen up the fat and chickpeas.
Which wine pairs with food? A simple approach to choosing
Rosé · good match
Dry rosé from Lebanon or Provence
Red fruit and freshness take up the cumin and the fried crust, and the yoghurt dip stays fresh.
Tequila blanco · good match
Blanco tequila as a highball with soda and lime
Green herbs and cumin pick up the peppery freshness of the blanco, and carbonation and lime cut the frying fat.
Tequila Blanco, Reposado, and Añejo: what aging changes
Sour beer · good match
Gose or lightly sour wheat beer
The acidity works like a squeeze of lemon on the falafel and freshens the sesame in the dip.
What is sour beer? Recognizing intentional acidity

Why it pairs well

Tequila as a highball is the surprising choice: parsley, coriander and cumin stand beside the green peppery quality of the blanco, and soda loosens the fat.

Preparation

Soak the chickpeas in plenty of cold water for at least 12 hours, then drain well.
Finely chop the bread, onion, garlic, parsley, coriander and chickpeas in a blender or food processor until the mixture looks like a coarse purée and holds together when squeezed.
Season with cumin, ground coriander, salt and pepper, knead in the flour and baking powder and shape the mixture into about 24 walnut-sized balls. If the mixture is too crumbly, add 1 to 2 tbsp water. Chill the balls for 30 minutes.
For the dip, stir the tahini with the lemon juice and water until smooth. The paste first stiffens and then turns smooth again with the water. Then stir in the yoghurt, garlic and salt and taste.
Heat the oil to about 180 to 190 °C; it is hot enough when plenty of bubbles rise around the handle of a wooden spoon. Deep-fry the falafel in batches for about 4 to 5 minutes until golden brown.
Drain on kitchen paper and serve hot with lemon wedges, tahini yoghurt and flatbread.

Drink with it

Pale lager · excellent match
Helles lager or pilsner, cold
Carbonation and light bitterness clear the frying fat and the tahini richness without drowning the spices.
Pils or Helles: What's the Difference?
White wine · excellent match
Grüner Veltliner or Sauvignon Blanc
Peppery spice and acidity suit the herbs and cumin and loosen up the fat and chickpeas.
Which wine pairs with food? A simple approach to choosing
Rosé · good match
Dry rosé from Lebanon or Provence
Red fruit and freshness take up the cumin and the fried crust, and the yoghurt dip stays fresh.
Tequila blanco · good match
Blanco tequila as a highball with soda and lime
Green herbs and cumin pick up the peppery freshness of the blanco, and carbonation and lime cut the frying fat.
Tequila Blanco, Reposado, and Añejo: what aging changes
Sour beer · good match
Gose or lightly sour wheat beer
The acidity works like a squeeze of lemon on the falafel and freshens the sesame in the dip.
What is sour beer? Recognizing intentional acidity

Why it pairs well

Tequila as a highball is the surprising choice: parsley, coriander and cumin stand beside the green peppery quality of the blanco, and soda loosens the fat.

Falafel with Tahini Yoghurt

Preparation

Drink with it

Helles lager or pilsner, cold

Grüner Veltliner or Sauvignon Blanc

Dry rosé from Lebanon or Provence

Blanco tequila as a highball with soda and lime

Gose or lightly sour wheat beer

This pairs well too.

Bread Dumplings with Chanterelle Sauce (Semmelknödel mit Eierschwammerlsoße)

Buffalo Cauliflower Wings

Chana Masala

Coleslaw

Falafel with Tahini Yoghurt

Preparation

Drink with it

Helles lager or pilsner, cold

Grüner Veltliner or Sauvignon Blanc

Dry rosé from Lebanon or Provence

Blanco tequila as a highball with soda and lime

Gose or lightly sour wheat beer

This pairs well too.

Bread Dumplings with Chanterelle Sauce (Semmelknödel mit Eierschwammerlsoße)

Buffalo Cauliflower Wings

Chana Masala

Coleslaw