For falafel, gather the following ingredients: chickpeas that have been dried and weigh 190g, one onion of medium size (preference for brown), two cloves of diced garlic, a large amount of flatleaf parsley and coriander (both chopped), 1 tablespoon of coriander that has been ground, half a tablespoon of ground cumin, a teaspoon of baking powder, and seasoning in the form of sea salt and black pepper.
Harissa jam will require: two red peppers, two teaspoons of vegetable oil, a tablespoon of caraway seeds, a teaspoon of ground cumin, four large chopped chillis (remove the seeds), two cloves of chopped garlic, a tablespoon each of tomato purée and red wine vinegar, half a tablespoon of olive oil, a tablespoon of caster sugar, and sea salt as seasoning.
For a freekeh salad you’ll need: 100g of freekeh, 800ml of water, a diced cucumber, the seeds from one pomegranate, a tablespoon of pistachio nuts (roughly chopped), a handful each of chopped flatleaf parsley and mint leaves, a tablespoon of pomegranate molasses, and sea salt and black pepper for seasoning.
Kick off by putting the dried chickpeas in a large bowl and submerge them in cold water. The chickpeas will swell as they absorb the water so ensure they are covered sufficiently. Leave these chickpeas to soak at room temperature, preferably overnight but at the very least eight hours will do.
After soaking, thoroughly rinse the chickpeas in cold water, strain them, and kindly put these aside.
The next step involves a food processor. Into this, add the onion, garlic, flat parsley and coriander, and blend to form a paste. You may need to scrape down the sides from time to time with a spatula. Once you have your paste, place a sieve over a bowl and add your paste to the sieve. This step ensures that any extra liquid is removed from the blended paste, ensuring your falafel mixture isn’t overly moist.
Begin by combining your chickpeas in the food processor and blend to a paste-like consistency, making sure to stop occasionally to scrape down the sides with a spatula, ensuring there are no large chickpea chunks. Transfer the chickpea mixture to a big bowl, infuse it with the drained blend of herbs and onion, and enhance it with cumin, coriander, baking powder, sea salt, and pepper. Stir it thoroughly with a wooden spoon for an even mix.
Test the flavour intensity of the mixture by heating a non-stick frying pan with some vegetable oil. Form a small and flat portion of the falafel blend, fry it on either side until a golden-brown hue is achieved, before removing it from the heat and allow to cool down a bit before tasting it. Keep in mind you may need to add more salt as chickpeas tend to soak up seasoning. Once you’re content with the taste, put the mix in the refrigerator.
Move on to the creation of harissa by pre-heating the oven to 200 degrees. Take two red peppers and place them on a tray suitable for the oven, ensuring to lightly coat them with vegetable oil before putting them in the oven to roast for about 20 minutes. After removal from the oven, let them cool before peeling off the skin and discharging unwanted stem and seeds – only the pepper’s flesh should be retained.
While the peppers are cooling down, toast the caraway seeds on a heated saucepan for around one or two minutes, then crush them employing a mortar and pestle, or spice grinder. Blend red pepper flesh, crushed caraway seeds, cumin, garlic, chillies, red wine vinegar, tomato purée, olive oil, sugar and salt together in a blender. Ensure the flavours are appropriately balanced before placing the harissa in a bowl or small dish and leave it aside.
Clean the freekeh with cold water a few times to get rid of excess starch and transfer it to a pot with water and a bit of salt. Allow it to simmer with reduced heat for about 15 minutes or until tender. Drain the cooked freekeh and spread it on a large platter to let it cool down.
Once cooled, blend the freekeh with cut cucumbers, seeds of pomegranate, pistachio nuts, chopped fresh mint and parsley, pomegranate molasses, olive oil, salt and pepper. Stir everything together using a spoon.
For the preparation of falafel, start by setting your oven at a temperature of 200 degrees. Extract the prepared falafel mixture from your refrigerator. Then mould a quantity equivalent to the size of a golf ball into a solid, round flat form. Simultaneously, get your cooking pan heated up and introduce some amount of vegetable oil. (Depending on the size of your pan, it might be necessary to split your cooking into several portions). Next, transfer the falafel pieces into the pan, meticulously, and allow them to fry over moderate heat for about three to four minutes until they are brown. Then, turn them over to fry for an additional three to four minutes. You can add a bit more oil if necessary. Thereafter, move them to a baking tray and let them bake in the oven for six to seven minutes.
After baking, take out the falafels from the oven. To arrange them for service, distribute some freekeh salad onto serving plates, add the falafel and some harissa. Garnish the salad with more fresh mint leaves for the final touch.