Crispy falafel are served over tabbouleh-inspired rice filled with hummus and a spiced yogurt sauce for a complete "healthy-ish" meal.
jump toRECIPE
Falafel is made from mashed chickpeas combined with herbs and spices and should be moist and light on the inside while crisp on the outside. It’s a great protein-packed vegan alternative to meats in salads. I also like to eat the falafel served with the yogurt sauce for an appetizer! While there are many different versions of falafel, it can be found throughout Middle Eastern culture. This recipe is based on a traditional Israeli version. An Egyptian variation is typically made with fava beans rather than chickpeas.
Tabbouleh is a Middle Eastern dish traditionally made with bulgur and herbs but for this recipe I decided to substitute rice for a heartier base for the bowl. This falafel bowl recipe is in no way traditional but a spin on a dish using the same flavors and herbs.
Chickpeas – Chickpeas, also called garbanzo beans add texture and protein to this recipe while keeping it vegetarian. Using canned chickpeas in this recipe cuts down on the prep time in this recipe. Swapping with dried chickpeas requires a bit more foresight since they need to be soaked for a long period of time then boiled.
Herbs – fresh parsley and cilantro are used to flavor the falafel.
Seasonings – The falafel are seasoned with a mixture of cumin and red pepper flakes in addition to the fresh herbs.
Greek yogurt – How does Greek yogurt differ from regular yogurt? It’s strained to remove any excess whey – resulting in a richer, creamier consistency yogurt. Full-fat (5% fat) Greek yogurt is combined with coriander, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder and lemon juice for a tangy white sauce to pair with the falafel bowl.
Hummus – While store-bought hummus is fine, I recommend making your own. It comes together using just a few ingredients and in my opinion, it’s better homemade. Use my recipe here to make your own.
Pita – I love serving this falafel bowl with toasted pita or pita chips for scooping up the elements of the bowl.
How to Make This Falafel Bowl
Blend the falafel mixture. Add the chickpeas, onion, parsley, cilantro, cumin, red pepper, and garlic into the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Pulse until the mixture is blended but not puréed. Stir in the flour, baking powder and salt until combined. The mixture should be dry enough to not stick to your hands but wet enough to hold together in a ball.
Shape the falafel. Sprinkle a parchment paper-lined baking sheet with flour. Measure out rounded tablespoons of the mixture. Roll the mixture into balls. Add flour to a medium shallow bowl and dredge the balls in the flour so they are completely coated.
Fry the falafel. Add enough oil to a large skillet so that it fills ½” of the pan. Heat the oil to 375ºF. Working in batches, fry the falafel balls until they are deep brown. Remove with a slotted spoon to a paper towel-lined plate.
Cook the rice. For the “tabbouleh” rice. Bring the rice and 1¾ cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Once boiling, cover the pot and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook until all the water has been absorbed and the rice is tender.
Make the “tabbouleh” rice. Let cool then fluff the rice with a fork. Stir in the cilantro, parsley, mint, olive oil, lemon juice, tomato and cucumber. Season with salt.
Make the spiced yogurt sauce. In a small bowl whisk together the Greek yogurt, coriander, cumin, white pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, lemon juice and 1 tablespoon of cold water.
Serve. Add a handful of arugula to each bowl. Divide the rice among 4 bowls. Top each with hummus, onions, peppers, pita chips and falafel.
Tips and Tricks for This Recipe
Use a rice cooker to make the rice. I find this so much easier than cooking rice on the stove.
Make your own hummus! It has so much flavor and is easy to do! Try my recipe here.
Easily make the falafel ahead of time. Store in an airtight container then broil to reheat and serve.
Serve over any greens you like. I like using peppery arugula but shredded romaine or iceberg lettuce work great.
In a pinch, omit the spices from the Greek yogurt and just serve the plain yogurt as a sauce or drizzle with tahini sauce.
5tablespoonsall-purpose flour,plus an additional 1 cup for dredging
1teaspoonbaking powder
½teaspoonkosher salt
Vegetable oilas needed, for frying
For the “tabbouleh”rice:
1cuplong-grain rice
¼cupchopped cilantro
¼cupchopped flat-leaf parsley
3tablespoonschopped mint leaves
2tablespoonsextra-virgin olive oil
2tablespoonsfreshly squeezed lemon juice
2medium Roma tomato,cored and diced
1medium English hothouse cucumber,diced
Kosher salt,as needed
For the spiced yogurt sauce:
1cupGreek yogurt
½teaspooncoriander
½teaspooncumin
¼teaspoonground white pepper
¼teaspoongarlic powder
¼teaspoononion powder
1teaspoonfreshly squeezed lemon juice
For the Mediterranean bowl:
Wild Arugula
1cuphummus
½cupthinly sliced red onions
¼cupsliced pepperoncini peppers
2cupspita chips(optional)
Instructions:
For the falafel:
Add the chickpeas, onion, parsley, cilantro, cumin, red pepper, and garlic into the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Pulse until the mixture is blended but not puréed. Stir in the flour, baking powder and salt until combined. The mixture should be dry enough to not stick to your hands but wet enough to hold together in a ball.
Sprinkle a parchment paper-lined baking sheet with flour. Measure out rounded tablespoons of the mixture. Roll the mixture into balls. Add flour to a medium shallow bowl and dredge the balls in the flour so they are completely coated.
Add enough oil to a large skillet so that it fills ½” of the pan. Heat the oil to 375ºF (190ºC). Working in batches, fry the falafel balls until they are deep brown, about 4 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon to a paper towel-lined plate.
For the “tabbouleh” rice:
Bring the rice and 1¾ cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Once boiling, cover the pot and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook until all the water has been absorbed and the rice is tender. Let cool then fluff the rice with a fork. Stir in the cilantro, parsley, mint, olive oil, lemon juice, tomato and cucumber. Season with salt.
For the spiced yogurt sauce:
In a small bowl whisk together the Greek yogurt, coriander, cumin, white pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, lemon juice and 1 tablespoon of cold water.
For the Mediterranean bowl:
Add a handful of arugula to each bowl. Divide the rice among 4 bowls. Top each with hummus, onions, peppers, pita chips and falafel.
DID YOU MAKE THIS?
TAG ME ON INSTAGRAM TO BE FEATURED ON MY STORIES!
@cookingwithcocktailrings
Amazing So fresh and just loved all the different flavors First time I made Farfale and I have to say love yours over the ones I have had in the restaurants.
My first attempt at making a complicated mediteranian dish such as this. I was expecting the same dry falafal I have eaten several places, this by far was the best I have had anywhere. These were moist with a nice crunch outside. I made mine into patties instead of balls. I was doubling this dish to serve 8. I did use only one large cucumber, 3 roma toms and the required greens, eventhough I believe I used 1 – 1-1/2 the amount of cilantro and parsley and worked out perfect. Everyone loved this dish and will make this many more times to come. It is a huge winner in the house. We will look to make parts ahead of time to make faster in future. It is a little time consuming doing it by yourself, but the steps were broken out nicely. I would say, I would like to see ingredients next to the steps I"m doing.
So happy to her you enjoyed the recipe John! Patties sound like a great way to do it! If you turn your phone on it’s side or open the recipe on desktop the ingredients will be shown next to the steps to make it more clear! Thanks so much for sharing and glad to hear it was a hit!
Amazing So fresh and just loved all the different flavors First time I made Farfale and I have to say love yours over the ones I have had in the restaurants.
That makes me so happy!! Thank you so much for sharing Marie!
My first attempt at making a complicated mediteranian dish such as this. I was expecting the same dry falafal I have eaten several places, this by far was the best I have had anywhere. These were moist with a nice crunch outside. I made mine into patties instead of balls. I was doubling this dish to serve 8. I did use only one large cucumber, 3 roma toms and the required greens, eventhough I believe I used 1 – 1-1/2 the amount of cilantro and parsley and worked out perfect. Everyone loved this dish and will make this many more times to come. It is a huge winner in the house. We will look to make parts ahead of time to make faster in future. It is a little time consuming doing it by yourself, but the steps were broken out nicely. I would say, I would like to see ingredients next to the steps I"m doing.
John
So happy to her you enjoyed the recipe John! Patties sound like a great way to do it! If you turn your phone on it’s side or open the recipe on desktop the ingredients will be shown next to the steps to make it more clear! Thanks so much for sharing and glad to hear it was a hit!