Falafel burger
A good falafel, with the best texture, simply must be fried in our books! If you have time and want a more authentic flavour, use a mix of dried fava beans and chickpeas. Soak them over night in cold water with a ½ teaspoon of bicarb and you’ll be ready to go the next day. This falafel burger is a spin on the classic smaller shaped falafels usually found in Lebanese cuisine. The spiced base mix is rolled in sesame for extra crunch and each mouthful feels like a masterclass in texture.
Method
Place the chickpeas, bicarbonate of soda, gram flour, garlic, onion, fresh herbs, spice mix, a good pinch of salt and pepper and 1 tablespoon of tahini into a food processer. Pulse to blitz, scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula and blitz again. Split the mixture in half and shape into 2-3 patties. Take a large plate and line with greaseproof paper, scatter over the sesame seeds and roll the patties in the seeds. Place the patties on the lined plate and pop them into the fridge to firm up.
Place a large, deep saucepan of oil on the hob (around 10cm of oil) to deep fat fry or use a deep fat fryer. Heat to 180c. When the oil is hot enough, fry the burgers on a medium heat for around 4-6 minutes until brown and crisp. Carefully lift out using a spider utensil and place on a tray lined with kitchen roll.
Meanwhile fry the eggs to your liking. Halve and toast the buns.
To serve, place the base halves of the buns onto plates. Spoon over tahini, place sliced vine tomatoes and crunchy iceberg lettuce on top. Pop a burger on top and add a perfectly fried egg. Place the bun lid on and secure with a cocktail stick. Serve with pickled chillies and crunchy vegetables.
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Ingredients
200g chickpeas, tinned and drained
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
6 tablespoons gram flour
1 garlic clove, peeled
½ small onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 small bunch of fresh parsley
1 small bunch of fresh coriander
1 tablespoon seven spice mix (Baharat seasoning)
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons tahini
Vegetable oil, for deep fat frying
2 large Clarence Court hen eggs
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
To serve
Tahini
Iceberg lettuce, sliced
Vine tomatoes, sliced
Burger buns