Falafel with Garlicky Tahini Sauce Recipe

Ingredients:

Falafel:
1 Cup Dried Chickpeas
½ Large onion, roughly chopped (about 1 cup)
2 Tablespoons Fresh Parsley, finely chopped
2 Tablespoons Fresh Cilantro, finely chopped
1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
½ Teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
1 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
1/2-1 Teaspoon Dried Hot Red Pepper
4 Garlic Cloves
1 ½ Teaspoon Ground Cumin
1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
4-6 Tablespoons flour

Tahini Sauce:
3 Garlic Cloves
½ Teaspoon Kosher Salt
½ Cup Tahini
1/3 Cup Fresh Lemon Juice
½ Teaspoon Lemon Zest
¼ Cup Water
¼  Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Tablespoon Fresh Parsley, finely chopped
1 Tablespoon Fresh Cilantro, finely chopped
¼ Teaspoon Ground Cumin

Put the chickpeas in a large bowl and add enough cold water to cover them by at least 2 inches. Let soak overnight, then drain.

Place the drained, uncooked chickpeas and the onions in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Add the parsley, cilantro, salt, hot pepper, garlic, onion powder, garlic powder, black pepper and cumin. Process until blended but not pureed.

Sprinkle in the baking powder and 4 tablespoons of the flour, and pulse. You want to add enough flour so that the dough forms a small ball and no longer sticks to your hands. Turn into a bowl and refrigerate, covered, for several hours.

While the Falafel mixture is chilling, prepare Tahini Sauce. Using a fine grater, grate garlic into a bowl. Whisk in Tahini, Lemon Juice, Water, and Olive Oil. Add salt, zest, cumin, parsley and cilantro. Combine until well. Refrigerate until serving time.

Pull Falafel mixture from refrigerator and form into small balls about the size of walnuts (approximately 2 tablespoons). Heat oil to 375 degrees in a deep pot (or deep fryer) and fry 1 ball to test. If it falls apart, add a little flour. Then fry about 6 balls at once for a few minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Serve with Tahini Sauce.

Source: the culinary chronicles