Chick pea paste with Tahini Dip on the right

Although Falafel is a Mid-East recipe, every Indian knows how to incorporate his /her own taste and definition to a recipe from around the world. In case if you haven’t already heard, Indians are good ‘Creative Copy-Cats (CCC)’, the way I put it! lol

So here is my CCC Falafel half inspired by me watching my talented aunt cook Falafel a few years ago and half inspired by my crazy mind. This purely Vegetarian dish can also be made VEGAN by keeping out the Optional Ingredients and can be awed for its nutritional fillers- high proteins, calcium, iron, with moderate carbs and fats.

We need:

1. Butter as per needed on the bread slice when preparing final serving
2. ½ Onion – white or red (in India onions are way smaller in size, may require to use 2 onions, refer to my picture below to know the quantity)
3. 2 inch stick of cinnamon
4. 2 cloves
5. 1 tsp black pepper – crushed or powder
6. Sesame seeds – ½ cup
7. * Optional ingredient: Yogurt – ½ cup
8. Salt as per needed for each time of use
9. 1 cup chick peas or garbanzo beans soaked for 6hours.
10. 1 big palm sized potato or equivalent number of small size
11. * Optional: Paneer – cottage cheese, crushed to make half to one cup. Make at home by boiling and tearing boiling milk with vinegar or lemon. You can find tons of recipes for how to make paneer at home or get Ready paneer from store. In Usa, you will find Paneer in the frozen section of Indian stores
12. * Optional: Cheese – 1/4^th cup
13. Tabasco: 4drops
14. Sriracha Sauce: 1/4^th to ½ tsp (as spicy as you want

HOW TO COOK IT

1.  Roast white sesame seeds in a non-stick pan on med to low heat until they turn light brown. Stir every minute, making sure you are tossing those seeds around pretty well. They do love carousel rides!
2. Once light brown remove from stove and allow to cool in a cool area of home, preferably out of the kitchen and under the fan (make sure your fan is clean ;))
3. Meanwhile, we will prepare the base of our stuffing.
    chop fine. Red onion is ok too.
4. Pressure cooker or any untensil to boil the garbanzo beans.
5. In med. to big sized Pressure Cooker (or Rice cooker), 1 Tbsp of oil; when hot, add 2 inch stick of cinnamon, 2 cloves, 1 tsp crushed black pepper or black pepper powder.
6. add onions, roast on med to high flame till translucent in color.
7. Add garbanzo / chick peas and fill water to 2-3 inches above chick peas.
8. To make the chick peas softer, add salt to
9. Boil in cooker with 6 whistles. (Adjust whistle no. as per your cooker)

 Kept to boil in pressure cooker

10. Meanwhile we will make our own version of ‘ Tahini Dip’. Crush the cooled sesame seeds in a dry grinder 1st

11. Once crushed, add 1 Tbsp cooking oil to the dry, ground sesame powder. Churn it once if needed. Add 3 Filled Tbsp of Yogurt (*optional, this is my own addition) and store this dip in a tightly covered container to preserve the flavor.

12. When the pressure cooker cools, separate the potato from the chick peas

13. Peel potato skin. Mash the boiled, peeled potato and add paneer – cottage cheese. Top with salt and 1tsp of red chilli powder (add more or less as per requirement)

14. Add quarter cup cheese

15. Mash the chickpeas, potato, paneer all in one

16. Add salt, tabasco 4 drops, 1/4 to 1/2 tsp Sriracha sauce (as spicy as needed)

17.   All the parts are ready. Unlike Traditional Falafel, I do not make them into balls. I leave it like a paste.

Chick pea paste with Tahini Dip on the right

18. Take your Bread slices, add butter, layer with tahini dip, chick peas paste, bite into this delightful dish!