sprouted chickpea falafel

Here is a second recipe adapted from New Zealander Megan May’s imaginative cookbook, The Unbakery, which celebrates raw, plant-based food. This version of falafel using sprouted chickpeas is deliciously fresh-tasting and wonderfully energising – in short, just right for a picnic.  

Obtaining 250g of sprouted chickpeas from dried chickpeas is not an exact art. The way I go about it is to soak 250g dried chickpeas for 18 hours and leave the drained chickpeas to sprout for 2–3 days. Because sprouted chickpeas are heavier than dried ones, I end up with some left over, but I see this as a bonus. I enjoy adding them to salads or even just eating them by themselves as a little snack.  

While there’s very little physical work involved – a bit of soaking, some chopping, and a quick blitz in the food processor – this recipe does require a bit of of planning and patience. As mentioned above, you need to sprout the chickpeas a few days ahead of time, and also beware that the sunflower seeds need 4–6 hours soaking prior to making up the falafel, which then need to be dried in a very low oven for 4 hours.                                                                                                      

SERVES 4–6 AS PART OF A PICNIC

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130g sunflower seeds, soaked for 4–6 hours 

 250g sprouted chickpeas (see above) 

1 garlic clove, finely chopped 

1 small onion, finely chopped 

1 heaped tablespoon finely chopped parsley 

1 heaped tablespoon finely chopped coriander 

1½ tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon ground cumin 

1 small red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped 

2 tablespoons lemon juice 

1 tablespoon tamari 

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Preheat your oven to its very lowest setting (55˚C if possible).

Drain and rinse the soaked sunflower seeds. Put them into the bowl of a food processor with the sprouted chickpeas and process until chunky.

Add the remaining ingredients and pulse until combined. The mixture should hold together when formed into balls.

Roll into balls of about 3cm diameter and place them on a baking tray lined with baking parchment. Put the balls into the oven and leave them to dry for about 4 hours.