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The Sandwich 100 · make it at home

Falafel in pita

45 min, plus soaking overnight · About 24 falafel, 6 pitas

Crisp outside, green and fluffy inside, made with soaked raw chickpeas (never canned), fried and stuffed into pita with tahini, salads and pickles. Paris's Rue des Rosiers adds fried eggplant and cabbage.

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The real one

You need

• 250 g (1 1/4 cups) dried chickpeas, soaked in plenty of water 18 to 24 hours
• 1 small onion, quartered
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 cup parsley leaves, 1 cup cilantro leaves
• 1 green chili (optional)
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp ground coriander, 1 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp baking powder, 2 tbsp flour (if needed)
• Oil for frying
• 6 fluffy pitas, hummus, tahini sauce, chopped salad, pickles, fried eggplant slices, shredded red cabbage, harissa or hot sauce

How to make it

1. Grind (10 min): Drain the chickpeas well. Pulse them in a food processor with the onion, garlic, herbs and chili until finely ground like coarse sand, scraping down the sides; don't make a paste. Add the spices and salt and pulse to mix.
2. Rest (30 min): Chill the mix 30 minutes. Just before frying, stir in the baking powder; if it doesn't hold together when squeezed, add the flour.
3. Shape (5 min): Form into balls or patties about 3.5 cm (1 1/2 in), pressing firmly.
4. Fry (12 min): Heat 5 cm (2 in) oil to 175 C (350 F). Fry 5 or 6 at a time until deep brown and crisp, about 3 to 4 minutes. Drain. Break one open: it should be green and cooked through.
5. Fill: Open the pitas, spread hummus inside, add 4 falafel, salad, cabbage, eggplant and pickles, then plenty of tahini and harissa.

Tips

• Canned chickpeas make falafel fall apart in the oil; you must start from dried.
• The raw mix freezes well; fry from cold.

Chef Amazing's own home version, in our words; not any shop's recipe.