Herb-Packed Chickpea Fritters with Green Tahini and Quick Pickles
- Yield
- 2 servings
Meat-eaters keep stealing these off the vegetarian plate. Most chickpea patties come out beige; these come out green, with twice the parsley plus cilantro and dill pulsed right into the mix. The move that matters is water control: wring the onion dry, pat the chickpeas dry and bind with a spoon of chickpea flour, so the fritters hold together and build a hard, crisp crust. Chickpeas bring the earthy body, the herbs and garlic the brightness, green tahini the richness, vinegar pickles the snap, and sumac and chili oil a sour, smoky finish.
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Ingredients
Batches and reset
2 servings · US measures · 1 batch
Batching
Mix each batch separately (one egg per batch) and brown 4 patties per skillet; cooking times do not change with the number of batches.
Original recipe: 2 servings.
The optional chili oil, the water added only if needed and the extra salt added to taste are left out of the nutrition estimate. The browning oil and the drained pickle brine are counted in full, so those figures are upper bounds. Nutrition is incomplete because the tahini, the chickpea flour and the sumac have no matching record in the pinned Standard Reference extract.
Before you start
- Read through the recipe before heating the skillet. Gather the food processor, skillet, towel, bowls, spatula, foil, oven mitts, thermometer and the measured ingredients.
Directions
Measure, drain and dry everything
For the whole recipe
Read through the recipe, then gather the equipment and use the ingredient lines to prepare and measure everything. Pat the chickpeas very dry and wrap the pita in foil. Everything is chopped, drained and measured.
Quick-pickle the onion and cucumber
For each batch
Toss about 2 oz red onion and about 4 oz cucumber with 3 tbsp red wine vinegar, 1/2 tsp granulated sugar and 1/4 tsp salt in a small bowl and set them aside, tossing once or twice. The vegetables turn bright and lightly pickled, about 20 minutes.
Blend the green tahini
For each batch
Blend about 1/4 cup tahini, about 1/2 cup fresh parsley, about 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, 1 clove garlic, 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice, 1/4 tsp salt and about 1/4 cup cold water in the food processor until the sauce is smooth, bright green and pourable. Scrape it into a small bowl; there is no need to wash the processor.
Technique: cold water makes tahini creamy
Tahini thickens and looks broken when the first water hits it, then turns smooth and pale as you keep blending in cold water. Blending the herbs in at the same time makes the sauce bright green and grassy instead of heavy.
Wring the onion dry
For each batch
Squeeze about 1/4 cup yellow onion in the clean towel to press out its juice. The onion feels dry.
Why it works: wringing out the onion
Onion is mostly water, and that water loosens the mix exactly when you need it to hold. Squeezed in a towel, the onion keeps its flavor and the fritters keep their shape.
Pulse the chickpeas and herbs
For each batch
Pulse the chickpeas, about 1/2 cup fresh parsley, about 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, 2 tbsp fresh dill, 3 cloves garlic, 1 tsp ground cumin, 1/2 tsp ground coriander, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp baking soda in the food processor in short bursts until they form a coarse, green-flecked paste that holds together when squeezed.
House call: more green than beige
We use twice the parsley the old version did, plus cilantro and dill. The herbs are the flavor here, not a garnish, and a fritter that is green inside tastes fresh enough to eat three of.
If it goes wrong: it went smooth like hummus
Stop pulsing. The fritters will be softer but still hold; shape them gently and give them their full rest before they hit the pan.
Bind with chickpea flour and egg
For each batch
Stir the squeezed onion, 2 tbsp chickpea flour and the beaten egg into the paste in the mixing bowl. If the mixture is too dry to hold together, add water to taste, a teaspoon at a time. Do not taste the raw mixture; it holds raw egg and raw flour. The mixture holds together when pressed.
Why it works: chickpea flour as the binder
Chickpea flour soaks up loose moisture and sets firm as it cooks, so the fritters hold together and crust without tasting floury. It keeps the whole thing tasting of chickpea instead of bread.
Shape and rest the patties
For each batch
Shape the mixture into 4 even patties about 3/4 inch thick and let them stand until firm enough to lift without cracking, about 15 minutes.
Why it works: the rest
While the shaped fritters stand, the flour soaks up loose moisture and the egg sets the mix into one piece. Skip it and they crack when you lift them.
Meanwhile, heat the oven
For each batch
Meanwhile, heat the oven to 400°F with the middle rack in place. The oven has reached temperature.
Brown them hard
For each batch
Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in the 10-inch oven-safe skillet over medium heat until it shimmers. Brown the patties until deep golden and crisp on both sides, about 3 minutes per side.
If it goes wrong: they're darkening too fast
Lower the heat a notch. The oven cooks the center through, so the skillet only has to build color and crunch, not cook them all the way.
Finish in the oven
For each batch
Move the skillet to the middle rack at 400°F and bake until an instant-read thermometer in the center of a patty reads 160°F (71°C), about 10 minutes. Set the foil-wrapped pita on the rack beside it to warm. Use oven mitts; the handle is hot.
Tradition: how falafel does it
Falafel, associated with Egypt and the Levant, is usually made from soaked raw chickpeas or fava beans and deep-fried. These start from canned chickpeas, which are already cooked, so they need the flour and egg to bind and the oven to finish.
Taste, then pile it on
For the whole recipe
Taste a bite of a cooked patty with a little green tahini. Aim for a crisp crust, a soft, herby center and a sauce that is nutty and sharp with lemon. If it tastes flat, sprinkle on salt to taste. Serve the patties with the warm pita, the green tahini and the drained pickles, finished with 1/2 tsp ground sumac and 2 tsp chili oil, if using, to make 2 servings of 2 patties each. The patties are crisp, sauced and portioned.
Make ahead: sauce and pickles first
The green tahini and the pickles both hold in the fridge in their own containers; loosen the sauce with a splash of cold water if it thickens. Shape the fritters ahead and keep them chilled, then brown and bake them right before you eat.
Make it yours: from safe to wild
Safe: crumble them over a big herb salad with the green tahini as dressing. Bolder: stuff a pita with fritters, fries and a spoon of amba, the tangy mango pickle sauce. Wild: tuck them into a toasted brioche bun with the pickles and a handful of crushed potato chips.
About this recipe
Allergens / Diets
Rebuilt recipe in review. Allergen and diet details are being re-checked.
Research preview: these details come from our sourced research and haven't been reviewed by our chef yet.
Why it works
Squeezing the water from the onion keeps the mixture firm, a short rest lets the flour and egg bind it, and browning the patties in a skillet before finishing them in the oven gives a crisp outside with little oil.
Associated with
Inspired by Egyptian and Levantine falafel
Falafel is a fritter of ground fava beans, chickpeas or both, eaten across the Middle East in flatbread or as meze. In Egypt it is made with fava beans; in the Levant chickpeas are usual.
Taste
- Sweet
- Sour
- Salty
- Bitter
- Savory
- Heat
Earthy chickpeas with cumin, coriander, garlic and fresh parsley. · browned, lightly crisp outside and soft, moist inside · hot
Skill level
Easy
Simple steps; you need a food processor and an oven-safe skillet.
Occasions
Ramadan iftar
Falafel is sometimes part of the iftar meal; check packaged items against the standard you keep.
Lenten abstinence days (Ash Wednesday and the Fridays of Lent)
No meat is listed.
Serving and keeping
Best served: Hot, straight from the oven In pita with tahini sauce, chopped salad and pickles, or on their own
Make ahead: Best fresh; re-crisp leftovers in the oven or a skillet.
Storage: Refrigerate within 2 hours (1 hour above 90 °F / 32 °C), covered.
Leftovers: They soften in the fridge; re-crisp in a hot oven or skillet.
Food safety
- The mixture holds raw egg and raw flour: do not taste it before cooking.
- Cook the patties until the centers reach 160 °F (71 °C).
- Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours and reheat to 165 °F (74 °C).
We make no statement about cross-contact in your kitchen or in packaged ingredients. Check the flour and canned chickpea labels.
Nutrition notes
The fiber and plant protein come from the chickpeas.
Most of the sodium comes from the canned chickpeas, the salt and the baking soda; rinsing the chickpeas and using less salt keeps it lower.
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- Recipe url
- https://isthebestrecipe.com/middle-eastern/chickpea-and-parsley-patties
- Name
- Herb-Packed Chickpea Fritters with Green Tahini and Quick Pickles
- Servings
- 2
- Recipe yield
- 2 servings
- Recipe ingredient
- about 2 oz red onion thinly sliced, about 4 oz cucumber peeled and thinly sliced, 3 tbsp red wine vinegar, 1/2 tsp granulated sugar, 1 tsp salt, about 1/4 cup tahini well stirred, about 1 cup fresh parsley leaves and tender stems, loosely packed, about 1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems, loosely packed, 4 cloves garlic peeled, 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice, about 1/4 cup cold water for the sauce, about 1/4 cup yellow onion chopped, 1 can chickpeas (garbanzo beans) rinsed, drained and patted dry, 2 tbsp fresh dill chopped, 1 tsp ground cumin, 1/2 tsp ground coriander, 1/4 tsp baking soda, 2 tbsp chickpea flour, 1 whole large egg beaten, to taste water only if the mixture is too dry, 2 tbsp olive oil, 1/2 tsp ground sumac, 2 whole pita breads about 6 inches across
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