Miso Tahini Falafel - A Miso-ey Rich Falafel Recipe

This series is a part of our attempt to bring the possibilities of fresh good-for-your-gut meals straight to your kitchen, pushing the boundaries of culinary flavours possible right at home, when mixed with the flavour depths of fermentation.
 
Falafel is a treat that is close to my heart, having found some of the best falafel wraps on my travels around Eastern Europe and Scotland. Yes, Edinburgh housed this amazing falafel joint that represented the culinary mastery of the Nile Valley civilisation and it forever. Holds a place in my heart.
 
Adding some sesame miso to the mix helped bring this at-home recipe very close to the memories I hold so dear. While nothing can beat the experience of being in college, sitting down with friends and taking in those aromas, this comes pretty darn close.

 

Here the trick is to keep things simple, use the right ingredients and trust your own flavour judgement.

 

Side note on Miso:

Miso ferment dates back to origins in China more than 1300 years ago. It uses fermentation through salt, grains and soybeans to prevent food for longer, but also to break down the stubborn grains for more bio-availability to the body.
Miso is rich in minerals such as zinc, copper and manganese along with Vitamins K & B.

Soybeans are extremely nutritious for us as we age, but they are often hard to digest and absorb. Japanese traditions use Miso and koji to maximise the goodness of these beans and consequently live long, healthy lives.
Grains and soybeans are no strangers to the Indian diet, being fermented and eaten for centuries – making them extremely useful for our digestive health.
 

It was through this recipe trial that I came up with our Tahini Miso, to push the hummus and falafel profile just a little further. I’ll be honest - I have often skipped the tahini when preparing hummus at home. But this Tahini Miso reinforces the need for some good sesame power to complete the search.

 

The recipe is divided into two parts.  The falafel batter (the miso garlic is optional) and the hummus tahini dip. The additions to the mezze only bring it all home, completing the full authentic Falafel Wrap at home.

 

 

Makes approx. 14 falafel patties

 

Ingredients: 

• 500g dried chickpea, soaked overnight
• 60g Besan, chickpea flour
• 1 large onion, chopped
• Herbs – bunch of coriander, parsley, mint
• Spices – ground cumin (2tbsp), mixed spices, chilli flakes, ground pepper (1/2tsp), salt
• 3-4 cloves of garlic
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tbsp of Garlic Miso (optional)
• Lemon, fresh coriander to serve
• Olive oil for binding & surface coat
• Miso Tahini Dressing

 

Miso Hummus

• 80g chickpea (soaked overnight)
• 2 tbsp Tahini Miso
• 1tbsp lemon juice
• 40g olive oil
• Garlic, sea salt as per liking

 

Method:

1. Drain and wash the soaked chickpeas

2. Combine them in a bowl with the herbs, onion and garlic, mashing together.

3. In batches, blend the mix with the spices, besan & baking powder till the mixture resembles wet bread crumbs.

4. Shape the mix into small patties/balls in the shape you prefer. Be gentle and place in the fridge once ready.

5. Heat up the oil for shallow frying or go for the air fryer. We prefer a mix of the two, giving the shape and stability in a pan then moving to the air fryer.

6. Prepare the hummus by combining the ingredients into a blender and getting a thick hummus paste.

7. Serve with a side of fresh cucumber, avocados and carrots, finely cut. Dress up with the tahini dip, lemon and salt.

 

We paired this up with the spicy zing of the fermented chilli chutney, highly recommended.

Have like this or make into wraps with thinly rolled chapatis/ millet flatbread.