FALAFAL SWEET POTATO

You so gotta try this!  This is a lip smacking not so pretty to watch eat, but when it tastes this good who cares!  If you have never had fresh falafel then you are in for a treat and I promise you will never ever be able to go back to a dried packet mix again.  Gorgeous crispy sweet potato balls seasoned with cumin, coriander and cayenne, then dressed with homemade olive oil mayonnaise, Asian sweet and sour carrots, pickled red cabbage and sweet green tomatoes.  Each mouthful delivers a burst of sweet, sour aromatic flavours.

I like to make everything myself and the recipes are below for the olive oil mayonnaise, flat breads, pickled carrots, cabbage and tomatoes, but if you want to use store bought that's great too.  I am a bit of a prepper and I like to fill my fridge and dry store with ingredients that I can just grab and use for other meals so the toppings for this flat bread are from my canning store so no prep for me but I have given you a quick options for the sweet and sour toppings, the full recipes are on my blog for these toppings and for canning and preserving these vegetables for long term use.

Prep Time 10 minutes / Cooking Time 5 minutes / Un attended baking time 40 minutes

Ingredients

(serves 4)

The Falafel

3 sweet potatoes baked

1 tsp cumin seeds

1/2 tsp coriander seeds

2 cloves garlic grated

2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander

1 hot red chilli diced (optional)

2 cups gram flour (chic pea)

30ml olive oil

1ltr ground nut oil for frying (optional)

The Wraps

500g 00 flour (caputo)

50g olive oil

10g sea salt

15g dried yeast (optional)

320g water 

To make the dough for the flat breads, place all the ingredients in a large bowl and combine to a dough ball then knead by hand or with a dough hook for seven minutes until the dough is smooth and springy to the touch.  Cover with a tea towel and leave in a warm draught free place for a minimum of one hour.  You can make the dough the day before and leave to prove in the fridge for 24 hrs, bring out and up to room temperature one hour before you need it.  Just tear off a small tennis ball size of dough and roll out to the size of your biggest non stick frying pan, heat that pan hot and place your rolled out flat bread dough in the pan and cook for around one minute each side, the flat bread may puff up don't worry that is a good thing, cook all the breads and wrap in a warm tea towel until needed.

The Mayo

1 egg yolk

1 tsp white wine vinegar

1 tsp Dijon mustard

200-300ml olive oil

sea salt and white pepper

This takes two minutes to make and really is worth the effort for the flavour is second to none.  Place the egg yolk and white wine vinegar in a bowl and add a drizzle in a tsp worth of olive oil, start whisking and do not stop until you have incorporated all the olive oil or you have a lovely thick mayo, you need to drizzle the oil really slowly for the first 50ml, then you can add a a much faster pace once all the oil is incorporated season with the mustard, salt and pepper, that's it.

The Toppings

2 carrots julienned 

1/2 red cabbage finely sliced

4 green tomatoes quartered

Quick Asian Sweet & Sour Pickling Vinegar

1 cup of white wine are apple cider vinegar

1/3 cup of sugar

1 tsp coriander seeds

1/4 tsp turmeric

To make the pickling vinegar, bring the vinegar to a simmer and add the rest of the ingredients and simmer for two minutes, remove from the heat and leave to cool, add the carrot, cabbage and green tomatoes and leave to infuse while you make the falafel.

To Make The Falafel

If you have not already then bake the sweet potatoes in pre heated oven 180 degrees for 30-40 minutes then do so, once baked peel the skins off and place the sweet potato in a large bowl, heat a non stick pan medium hot and gently toast the cumin and coriander seeds for a couple of minutes, remove and place in a grinder or pestle and mortar and grind to a powder, you can use already powdered spices but I urge you to try the seeds a few more minutes work but the flavours are outstanding, add to the sweet potato along with the rest of the ingredients and mix well, as you don't want any of the gram flour left un-incorporated as this will result in a pocket of dry dust!  Form your sweet potato mix in to golf ball size balls.

Heat your pan of oil or fryer to 180 degrees, you can also bake these falafel balls in the oven at 180 degrees for around 30 minutes until soft of crispy for a healthier option, but when you fry them they have a extra depth of flavour, with a nutty crispy crunch on the outside and a soft creamy sweet aromatic centre and it just works so much better, even if it is naughty, therefore I limit when I eat this so that I can eat them in their best presentation.  If frying just drop the balls in and cook for approx 4 minutes, I turn them only once after two minutes, then remove from the oil and drain on a kitchen cloth or paper towel to absorb any excess oil.

Now you are ready to go, load your family table with plates and bowls of the falafel, flat breads, mayonnaise, pickled sweet and sour carrots, cabbage and green tomatoes and let every one dive in and make their own falafel wraps.  This is the very best of family eating, enjoy, great food and great conversation that you never know how far it goes :-)