Ingredients
Chickpea coating and pita
- 400 g canned cooked chickpeas drained weight; rinse and dry thoroughly
- 30 g flat-leaf parsley reserve 5 g for the sauce
- 40 g onion roughly chopped
- 6 g garlic peeled
- 2 g ground cumin
- 2 g ground coriander
- 30 g all-purpose flour
- 2 g fine salt divided: 1.5 g for coating, 0.5 g for sauce
- 4 thin 8 inch unsplit pitas about 80 g each
- 30 ml olive oil divided
Sauce and filling
- 80 g plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- 20 g tahini stirred well
- 20 ml fresh lemon juice
- 20 ml water
- 120 g cucumber diced
- 120 g tomato diced and excess liquid drained
Equipment
- 1 food processor
- 1 12-inch skillet
- 1 Colander
- Clean kitchen towel or paper towels
- 1 wide spatula
- 1 mixing bowl and whisk
- kitchen scale, measuring spoons, knife and cutting board
Instructions
Prepare the coating and sauce
- Drain and rinse the canned cooked chickpeas in a colander. Spread them on a clean towel and pat thoroughly dry. Wash and dry the parsley; reserve 5 g for the sauce.
- Pulse the onion, garlic, remaining 25 g parsley, cumin, coriander and 1.5 g salt in a food processor until finely chopped. Add the chickpeas and flour; pulse to a coarse, cohesive mixture, scraping the bowl as needed. Stop before it becomes smooth hummus. Chill for 10 minutes.
- Whisk the yogurt, tahini, lemon juice, water and remaining 0.5 g salt in a bowl. Finely chop the reserved 5 g parsley and fold it into the sauce. Prepare the cucumber and tomato, draining excess tomato liquid.
Cook and fill
- Keep the pitas whole and unsplit. Divide the chickpea mixture evenly among them, spreading it over one face in a thin, even layer about 4 mm thick. Press gently so it adheres.
- Heat a 12 inch skillet over medium heat. Add one-quarter of the olive oil, then place one pita chickpea-side down. Cook for 4–5 minutes until the coating is golden, firm and hot all the way through; lower the heat if it colors before setting. Flip carefully with a wide spatula and cook the bread side for about 1 minute. Repeat with the remaining pitas and oil, allowing about 24 minutes for four individual batches. Cook the flour-containing coating before tasting it.
- Put the cooked pitas chickpea-side up. Divide the cucumber, tomato and yogurt-tahini sauce among them, then fold gently in half. Serve promptly.
Nutrition
Calories: 510kcalCarbohydrates: 80gProtein: 19gFat: 13gFiber: 10g
Video
Notes
Makes 4 filled pitas. Use canned, fully cooked chickpeas; soaked raw chickpeas are not a direct substitute. Measure the drained beans and dry thoroughly. Timing includes 10 minutes of chilling and cooking four pitas individually; pan heat and bread thickness change timing. The flour-containing layer must be cooked before tasting. Contains wheat, sesame and milk; check all packaged labels. This cooked-chickpea shortcut has a softer center than traditional falafel made with soaked dried beans. Refrigerate perishable components promptly, within 2 hours or 1 hour above 90°F (32°C), and keep sauce chilled until needed.
Video credit: Ahmad Noori (@dr.vegann). His demonstration uses canned chickpeas, flour and herbs cooked directly on flatbread; this recipe uses different proportions, seasoning and toppings.
Nutrition is an ingredient-based estimate for one complete filled pita, including all measured oil and sauce. Generic bread and bean data are used; actual brands, bread size and pan oil retention affect the result.