Delicious Buddha Bowl with Homemade Falafel

Today I will teach you how to make ridiculously delicious homemade falafel. It is easier than you think! You only need dried chickpeas and few different kinds of herbs, either fresh or dry. It is easy, it only requires a little bit of planning ahead as chickpeas need to be soft after soaking in water for few hours.

What is falafel?

Falafel comes from the Middle Eastern cuisine. It is believed to have originated in Egypt. Falafel usually has a shape of small ball or patty. Traditionally, it is made of ground chickpeas, fava beans or both. It is very tasty and 100% vegan. It tasted good when served with tahini or hummus sauce, sesame seeds, in Buddha bowls or wraps with lots of vegetables (usually lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, capsicum or avocado).

Serving: 2

Preparation time: 40 min

Cooking time: 20 min

Ingredients:

For falafel:

2 cups dried ground chickpeas

6 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped

1/2 cup fresh or dried dill

1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves

1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves

salt

cracked black pepper

1 tablespoon cumin

1 tablespoon coriander

2 tablespoons sesame seeds

1 tablespoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

For Buddha bowl:

1 tomato, sliced

1 sweet potato, cut

1 avocado, cut in half

200 g chickpeas, canned

1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves, shredded

1 lime

1/2 cup hummus

sesame seeds

For dill creamy sauce:

1/2 cup soy or any non-dairy milk

2 tablespoon dried dill

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon vegetable or olive oil

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Start making falafels: Put dried ground chickpeas into a bowl and pour over water and baking soda. Mix and leave it covered in a fridge overnight. Then drain chickpeas and let it dry completely.
2. Place parsley, cilantro, and dill in a food processor. Pulse to finely chop the herbs.
3. Now add the chickpeas, garlic and all remaining spices to a food processor. Blend all the ingredients until well combined and smooth.
4. Transfer the falafel mixture to a container, cover it with a lit and leave it chilled in a fridge for at least 1 hour.
5. Add sesame seeds and baking powder and mix it properly. Form small bowls.
6. Heat olive oil a large pan and fry falafel balls from each side until they have a nice golden brown colour.
7. Now prepare a creamy dill sauce: Pour milk into a food processor and blend it for 40 seconds. You should see how milk thickens a little bit. Then add slowly oil and blend it for another 40 seconds. The mixture should be thick by now.
8. Add all remaining ingredients and blend until the texture is smooth and creamy. Pour in a small bowl and set aside.
9. For a Buddha bowl, place sliced tomato, chopped sweet potato, and canned drained chickpeas on an aluminum foil and put it in a pre-heated oven (180 °C) and let it bake for 20 minutes.
10. Place a small bowl with hummus in a middle of a large bowl or plate. Divide all the following into 2 servings: Add cut avocado, parsley leaves, baked sweet potato, tomato and baked chickpeas. Add falafel balls, half of the lime. Splash the bowl with a creamy dill sauce. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Enjoy!

Congratulations! You just prepared your first homemade falafel balls! It wasn’t that complicated, was it? How did you like a creamy dill sauce? It is one of my favourite! It has an amazingly creamy and smooth texture and it is a little bit sour which I love! It is a great combination with falafels, don’t you think so?

How did you go with this homemade falafel Buddha bowl? Let me know in comments below!