Lebanese Falafels... Make way for Indie Chanafels

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Indie Chanafels with Pahadi Roasted Tamatar kii Chutney

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So I was craving for some Lebanese Falafels and due to the corona virus situation, the regular places we used to go for shopping of grocery and essentials was all topsy and turvy.

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I try and cook every day as cooking relaxes my nerves so I tend to do as much as I can in the kitchen but ofcourse, a mother is the ultimate authority in a home kitchen. I am no different, I still get smacked for putting too little salt or too much pepper etc.

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Momma dearest had made a quintessential Gujarati subzi of Doodhi Chana Nii Daal nu shaak (Lauki / Ghiya aur Chane Daal kii subzi) in the morning for lunch. 

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So we decided on the falafels for the evening and I had attempted a pahadi tamaatar kii chutney earlier last month which went a little off in terms of the taste as the green chillies packed a little extra heat than usual. But due to the mix and match, I got chana daal packets x 2 instead of one packet of chanaa daal (split chickpeas) (and one packet of Kabuli chanaa (garbanzo beans)

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So mother dearest came up with an alternative plan, she put the new batch of chanaa daal to soak before dinner time in the evening and asked me to prepare everything as per the plan for the Lebanese falafels thing and told me that we have to improvise to get what we want in the kitchen. (Wisdom bomb dropped casually).

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Presenting the recipe of Indie Chanafels (Falafels made with Chana Daal)

Ingredients

– soaked chickpeas drained and air dried to remove all excess moisture. 

– Fresh herbs: fresh coriander leaves, and green chillies for that kick (you can also add parsley leaves and dill leaves tomake it more authentic.

– Onion: it is customary to use yellow onions, but white or red onions would also work. We used red onions.

– Freshly crushed coarse garlic.

– Salt and pepper: to taste. I added a bit of rock salt for that extra zing. 

– Spices: cumin, coriander, and a little red chilli powder. Along with the fresh herbs, this trio of spices is what gives falafel it’s bold authentic taste.

– Baking powder: this is what gives falafel an airy, fluffy texture (many recipes skip this, causing the falafel to come out too dense.) 

the process begun: we mixed up everything 

I chopped up onions, added the garlic and herbs to the mixture, added crushed chanaa dal and added the spices and baking powder just before adding a little lemon juice.

Then we Formed patties and deep fried them.

For the chutney:

I took tomatoes, roasted them over the gas stove flame and charred the skin till it became peelable, 

Then blitzed the tomatoes with a couple of green chillies (mild ones), some garlic, rock salt, pepper, an onion and some sesame seeds (pan roasted for extra flavor)

Served up the fried Indie Chanafels with Roasted Tomato Garlic Pahadi Chutney and Sliced onions topped with some lemon juice... 

It was divine!