Welcome to the ingredient challenge, a self-imposed way for me to force myself to deplete our fridge from some random half-filled condiment jars that need to be used before they expire or jump off the overcrowded shelf! This week's ingredient is Trader Joe's Harissa Sauce, a paste made with hot chili peppers, herbs and spices that originates from Tunisia and is commonly used in North African and sometimes Middle Eastern dishes. It isn't something you want to just dollop on your food by itself unless you're a total spicehead, so I like to pair it with a creamy dairy to help tamp the heat while retaining the flavor of the chilis.
I'm looking for ways to get more legumes into my diet without turning to taco night or chili, and I haven't really had a lot of falafels that were flavorful enough to be exciting, so throwing in the harissa is a nice kick.
I paired the falafel with my favorite Israeli couscous tabbouleh and found that this was an energizing and light lunch that was as good warm as it was cold the next day when I ate it at work. The yogurt tahini sauce really makes the falafel to where you want to eat them until they're all gone, so definitely don't pass on making it!
Harissa Falafel and Yogurt Tahini Sauce
Ingredients
Harissa Falafel
- 1 can chickpeas
- ½ cup chopped red onion
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro
- ¼ cup fresh parsley
- 2 cloves garlic
- ½ T olive oil
- ½ T lemon juice
- 1 T harissa
- ½ t baking soda
Yogurt Tahini Sauce
- 1 T tahini
- 2 T plain Greek yogurt
- 1 t lemon juice
Instructions
For the Sauce
- Combine all ingredients with a fork until smooth.
For the Falafel
- Pulse chickpeas, onion, garlic, fresh herbs in a food processor until crumbly, do not let it get pasty like hummus.
- Remove the mixture from the food processor into a large bowl and add remaining ingredients — olive oil, harissa, lemon juice, and baking soda.
- Mix together with a large spoon, then use your hands to form into palm sized orbs (like a bouncy ball or silver dollar size). Use a rubber spatula to get all of the extra bits out of the bowl. You can leave them in ball shapes of flatten slightly with your palm if you prefer a slightly more patty-like shape.
- Place the balls on a plate that can fit into the fridge or freezer. Chill for 30 minutes to an hour.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Carefully remove the balls using aflat spatula onto a parchment paper or Silpat covered baking sheet.
- Bake for 20 minutes, using the spatula to turn carefully. Bake for another 15 minutes after turning. Make the yogurt tahini sauce below during the baking time.
- Serve immediately with tahini yogurt sauce.
But wait! Some of the falafel, despite your best efforts, will fall apart and that sucks, but there's no need to toss the scattered bits ... except to toss them onto romaine or butter lettuce leaves with some tahini yogurt sauce and eat it as a lettuce cup!
Looking for more ways to use harissa? How about a spicy harrisa dipping sauce for your French fries?