Mar 2, 20223 min read

Mama Sam's Falafel

With falafel for baby

In homage to my wonderful mother in law ‘Mama Sam’, these are essentially THE best falafel you will ever taste! ‘Tamiya’, as they are known in Sudan, originate from Egypt but are mostly recognised as ‘Middle Eastern’ nowadays as they can be widely found across the entire region. They are essentially chickpea fritters and served with warm pitta bread, Salata Aswad (a to-die-for Sudanese salad made with a peanut butter sauce) or Ful Medames which are made with fava beans, lemon, garlic, parsley in a tomato sauce (I’ll write both of these recipes up for you sooooon!). Babies can eat these lovely little nuggets from 6 months + of age, they are a great BLW food as they have bags of flavour, textures and are easy for babies to hold.

Prep Time: 8 Mins (+12 hours for the chickpeas) | Cook Time 25 Mins

Serves 6-8

Ingredients

500g Chickpeas soaked overnight
2-3 Garlic cloves minced
1 tbsp Fresh dill chopped finely
½ tbsp Fresh parsley chopped finely
½ tbsp Fresh coriander chopped finely
Pepper
1 tbsp Baking powder
Rapeseed oil for frying
Sesame seeds (optional as sesame is allergenic, see notes)

METHOD

Spoon the chickpeas and garlic into the food processor (you will have to do them in batches if yours has a small bowl like mine). Add a drop of water (around 50ml) and blend until they bind together when moulded into a ball (take care not to add too much water). Spoon the mixture into a large bowl and continue to the next batch until all the chickpeas and garlic are blended together.
Add the herbs and a pinch of pepper and mix together. If you are adding sesame seeds, add them at this stage as well.
Sprinkle the baking powder over the mixture and wet it with a few splashes of water. Combine all ingredients together, then move on to moulding the nuggets ASAP!
Fill a small frying pan with oil (approximately ⅔ full) and heat on a medium setting.
Scoop a little of the mixture into your hands and mould into small balls (the approximate diameter of a 50p piece) and flatten to approx 6-7mm in depth (they will puff up when cooked).
Once the oil is hot, place the falafel into the oil and cook for 2-3 minutes until golden brown, then turn them over for a further 2-3 minutes on the other side. Using a slotted spoon remove the falafels from the oil and spoon onto a plate with a kitchen towel to soak up any excess oil.
Allow to cool and break into small manageable pieces for your baby 6 months + to discover their textures and flavour.
Serve nice and warm for adults and children 12 months + along with pitta bread, salad and hummus or tahini dressing.
Allow to cool slightly, cut into smaller pieces and serve to the baby allowing them to hold them themselves and discover the flavours and textures.

Notes

As advised by our consultant paediatric nutritionist Judith Calvin from www.healthisgoodfood.com: “Sesame seeds provide some protein and fibre for baby, but mainly they are an excellent source of essential fatty acids”. It is very important to introduce allergens to your baby's diet before they are one year of age.

If you are cooking for four, simply half all of the ingredients required prior to starting. Personally, I like to do a big batch and save the rest in an airtight container for another day. Or, you can place them on a baking tray and freeze them. Once frozen, move the falafels into an airtight container or bags to freeze for up to 3 months.