Ingredients
- 1 can chickpeas, about 400 g, drained and rinsed
- 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- good pinch of cayenne pepper
- good pinch of turmeric
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 carrot, finely grated
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh coriander
- salt and pepper
- 4 large, oval pita breads, about 75 g each
- ½ cos lettuce or 1 heart of cos lettuce, shredded
- 2 roma tomatoes, thinly sliced
- ⅓ cup (90 g) low–fat natural yogurt
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
Preparation
- Preheat the oven to 200°C.
- Line a baking tray with baking paper.
- Put the chickpeas in a bowl with the oil and use a potato masher to mash them until quite smooth.
- Mix in the cumin, cayenne pepper, turmeric, garlic, lemon juice, carrot, coriander, and salt and pepper to taste.
- Alternatively, mix all the ingredients, except the carrot and coriander, in a food processor.
- Transfer the mixture to a bowl and stir in the carrot and coriander.
- Shape the mixture into 16 flat, round patties, each about 3 cm across, and place them on the paper–lined baking tray.
- Bake for 15–20 minutes, or until crisp and lightly browned, turning them over halfway through the cooking time.
- About 3 minutes before the falafel have finished cooking, put the pita breads in the oven to warm.
- Then split the breads in half widthwise and gently open out each half to make a pocket.
- Half–fill the pita bread pockets with the shredded lettuce and sliced tomatoes, then divide the falafel among them.
- Mix together the yogurt and mint, season with salt and pepper to taste, and drizzle over the falafel.
- Serve hot.