Did you know that falafel doesn’t have to be made with chickpeas alone? Did you even know that falafel is usually made with chickpeas? If not, then you know it now ;P Well… today these delicious small balls are made with a mix of sweet potatoes and chickpeas – fried to crunchy perfection but not dry inside. Ready to eat with some hummus and tomato salad – or if you prefer them in a sandwich you can do that too. Either way a delicious meal!
Since Covid-19 has turned our everyday life upside down I am cooking much more than I did in the past. We are still working from home and going out to a restaurant for a quick lunch as we would normally do when working at the office is not an option right now. We actually haven’t been eating in restaurants much since the pandemic started. It’s a real pity because there is a whole street of great restaurants in front of our door – but as long as neither the restaurant operators nor the guests stick to the current regulations about keeping distance and cleaning stuff, I don’t really feel comfortable sitting down in a restaurant.
Well… that means I am cooking more at home and for you, this means more recipes on the blog – cooking recipes along with the regular baking stuff. Could be worse, right?! ;) So today I got delicious Sweet Potato Falafel with Homemade Hummus and Tomato Salad. Instead of getting a batch of falafel balls from the falafel dealer around the corner, you can also make these little fried balls yourself at home. It’s really not that complicated. If you deep-fry some more (I mean the fat is already hot) you can save the leftover balls and store them in the fridge for the next day or even freeze them. You can eat them cold or heated up again the next days with the hummus or in a pita bread sandwich with some salad and yogurt sauce. Mmmm… so good!
By the way, you can prepare the hummus some time in advance if you don’t want to work too much on the day you are deep-frying the falafel balls. The hummus stays fresh for several days in the fridge when you make it. We normally make a large batch here as well and eat some hummus with some veggie sticks in the evening along with some tapas. If you don’t want to cook in the evening, it’s always a good idea to have hummus at home. Even with some bread and olives alone its a (snack) meal already ;)
My vegan lentil dip also goes well with these orange falafel balls. Looks nice on the plate and I heard some people say that food should be a feast for the eyes, too :P
In comparison to “regular” falafel made with chickpeas only, these here do not dry out when deep-fried. Falafel made only with chickpeas trends to get a bit dry if you are not keeping an eye on the balance of ingredients, but these here are always nice due to the moisture from the sweet potatoes. Nobody wants falafel that gets stuck halfway down your throat.
INGREDIENTS / ZUTATEN
For the falafel:
17.6 oz. (500g) sweet potatoes
1 can (14 oz.) chickpeas
1 medium egg yolk
2 tbsp. chickpea flour
2 tbsp. (wholemeal) bread crumbs or panko
salt, pepper
cayenne pepper
For the hummus:
8.8 oz. (250g) chickpeas (from a can), rinsed and drained
1/4 cup (60ml) lemon juice (plus more if needed)
1/4 cup (60g) tahini (sesame paste)
2 tbsp. olive oil (plus more for serving)
1-2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. salt
2-3 tbsp. cold water (plus more if needed)
salt, pepper
For the tomato salad:
2-3 medium-sized tomatoes, diced
1 small red onion, diced
1-2 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. white wine vinegar
salt, pepper
Für die Falafel:
500g Süßkartoffeln
1 Dose (400g) Kichererbsen
1 Eigelb (M)
2 EL Kichererbsenmehl
2 EL (Vollkorn-) Paniermehl
Salz, Pfeffer
Cayenne Pfeffer
Für das Hummus:
250g Kichererbsen (aus der Dose), abgespült und abgetropft
60ml Zitronensaft (plus ggf. mehr)
60g Tahini (Sesampaste)
2 EL Olivenöl (plus mehr zum Servieren)
1-2 Knoblauchzehen, grob gehackt
1/2 TL Kreuzkümmel, gemahlen
1/2 TL Salz
2-3 EL kaltes Wasser (plus ggf. mehr)
Salz, Pfeffer
Für den Tomatensalat:
2-3 mittelgroße Tomaten, gewürfelt
1 kleine rote Zwiebel, gewürfelt
1-2 EL Olivenöl
1 EL Weißwein-Essig
Salz, Pfeffer
Instead of the chickpea flour mentioned in the recipe, you can also use “regular” a/p flour. I just happened to have chickpea flour at home and thought that could work here… and it did. The wholemeal breadcrumbs can be replaced by regular breadcrumbs or panko. We changed to the wholemeal version of breadcrumbs some time ago because it’s slightly healthier than the regular stuff made with white bread only.
DIRECTIONS / ZUBEREITUNG
2. Add the chickpeas to a sieve, rinse with water and let drain. Add together with the sweet potato and the egg yolk to a food processor/mixer and mix until you get fine crumbs/pieces – do not mix until you get a paste – that would be too much. Add the chickpea flour and bread crumbs (panko) and mix in. Season well with salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper. Place in the fridge for about 1 hour to cool down.
3. While the mixture is cooling down prepare the hummus. Pour the chickpeas from the can into a sieve, rinse with water and let drain. Add the tahini and lemon juice to a food processor or strong mixer and mix for a minute or so until creamy. Add the olive oil, chopped garlic, ground cumin, and salt – mix until well combined. Add about half of the chickpeas to the food processor/mixer and mix for a minute or so until the chickpeas are creamy. Add the remaining chickpeas and mix another 1-2 minutes until you get a thick paste. The hummus is probably quite thick at this moment – continue mixing and add cold water until the hummus has a nice creamy and spreadable consistency. Season with some more salt and pepper if needed. Transfer to a bowl or plate and drizzle with some olive oil. Set aside until needed.
4. Wash, dry, and clean the tomatoes and cut into cubes. Peel the onion and dice finely. Add the olive oil and vinegar to a bowl and mix to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Add the tomatoes and onion dices and mix. Let marinate for at least 10 minutes.
5. Shape the falafel mixture into small balls. Heat up a pot with oil to a temperature of about 350°F (175°C). Fry the falafel in small batches for 3-6 minutes (depending on the size) or until golden. Keep an eye on the temperature so they won’t burn. Take out and let drain on a piece of kitchen paper. Repeat with the remaining mixture/balls. Serve the falafel with the hummus, tomato salad, and some bread. The falafel are also delicious served cold.
2. Die Kichererbsen in ein Sieb geben, mit Wasser abspülen und abtropfen lassen. Zusammen mit den Kartoffeln und dem Eigelb in eine Küchenmaschin/Mixer geben und zerkleinern. Die Masse sollte homogen sein, muss aber nicht zu einem Püree totgemix werden. Kichererbsenmehl und Paniermehl dazugeben und unterrühren. Mit Salz, Pfeffer und Cayenne Pfeffer gut würzen und dann für etwa 1 Stunde in den Kühlschrank stellen.
3. Während die Falafelmischung kühlt den Hummus zubereiten. Die Kichererbsen aus der Dose in ein Sieb schütten, mit Wasser abspülen und abtropfen lassen. Das Tahini mit dem Zitronensaft in eine Küchenmaschine/Mixer geben und für eine Minute mixen, bis die Mischung cremig ist. Olivenöl, gehackten Knoblauch, Kreuzkümmel und Salz dazugeben und einmal kurz aufmixen. Etwa die Hälfte der Kichererbsen dazugeben und für eine Minute mixen, dann den Rest dazugeben und alles für 1-2 Minuten zu einer dicken Paste mixen/pürieren. Da das Hummus jetzt vermutlich noch sehr fest ist, etwas vom Wasser dazugeben und mixen, bis die Konsistenz etwas cremiger ist. Mit etwas mehr Salz und Pfeffer würzen, falls notwendig. In eine Schüssel oder auf einen Teller geben und verstreichen, dann mit etwas Öl beträufeln und bis zum Servieren zur Seite stellen. Das Hummus kann bis zu 4 Tage im Kühlschrank aufbewahrt werden.
4. Die Tomaten waschen, putzen und in Würfel schneiden. Zwiebel schälen und fein würfeln. Olivenöl und Essig in einer kleinen Schüssel verrühren und mit Salz und Pfeffer würzen, die Tomaten- und Zwiebelwürfel dazugeben und alles vermengen. Für mindestens 10 Minuten ziehen lassen.
5. Den gekühlten Falafelmix in kleine Bälle formen. Einen Topf mit Öl erhitzen, bis das Öl eine Temperatur von etwa 175°C (350°F) hat. Die Falafelbällchen für 3-6 Minuten (kommt auf die Größe an) im heißen Öl frittieren, bis sie goldbraun sind – packt nicht zu viele auf einmal in den Topf und bewegt die Bällchen ein wenig, damit sie von allen Seiten gleichmäßig bräunen. Herausholen und auf einem Stück Küchenpapier abtropfen lassen. Wiederholen, bis alle Falafelbällchen frittiert sind. Die fertigen und noch warmen Falafel mit dem Hummus, Tomatensalat und Brot servieren. Falafel schmecken aber auch kalt ;)
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Here is a version of the recipe you can print easily.
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Sweet Potato Falafel with Hummus and Tomato Salad
- Prep Time: 00:35
- Cook Time: 00:30
- Total Time: 02:30
- Yield: 4
- Category: Dinner
- Cuisine: International
Description
Sweet potatoes make a great base for falafel – in combination with fresh hummus a delicious meal everyone will love!
Ingredients
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line a baking sheet with baking parchment and set aside. Peel the sweet potatoes and cut into 0.8 inches (2cm) thick slices. Place on the baking sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes until cooked and soft. Take out of the oven and let cool down.
2. Add the chickpeas to a sieve, rinse with water and let drain. Add together with the sweet potato and the egg yolk to a food processor/mixer and mix until you get fine crumbs/pieces – do not mix until you get a paste – that would be too much. Add the chickpea flour and bread crumbs (panko) and mix in. Season well with salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper. Place in the fridge for about 1 hour to cool down.
3. While the mixture is cooling down prepare the hummus. Pour the chickpeas from the can into a sieve, rinse with water and let drain. Add the tahini and lemon juice to a food processor or strong mixer and mix for a minute or so until creamy. Add the olive oil, chopped garlic, ground cumin, and salt – mix until well combined. Add about half of the chickpeas to the food processor/mixer and mix for a minute or so until the chickpeas are creamy. Add the remaining chickpeas and mix another 1-2 minutes until you get a thick paste. The hummus is probably quite thick at this moment – continue mixing and add cold water until the hummus has a nice creamy and spreadable consistency. Season with some more salt and pepper if needed. Transfer to a bowl or plate and drizzle with some olive oil. Set aside until needed.
4. Wash, dry, and clean the tomatoes and cut into cubes. Peel the onion and dice finely. Add the olive oil and vinegar to a bowl and mix to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Add the tomatoes and onion dices and mix. Let marinate for at least 10 minutes.
5. Shape the falafel mixture into small balls. Heat up a pot with oil to a temperature of about 350°F (175°C). Fry the falafel in small batches for 3-6 minutes (depending on the size) or until golden. Keep an eye on the temperature so they won’t burn. Take out and let drain on a piece of kitchen paper. Repeat with the remaining mixture/balls. Serve the falafel with the hummus, tomato salad, and some bread. The falafel are also delicious served cold.
Notes
Enjoy frying!
I love my job, but in between I love to bake and try new things in the kitchen. A lot of my friends and colleagues encourage me to bake - for a very simple reason: they get the leftovers - and it seems they like it most of the time ;) 
