Name: Falafel box (home recipe)
Prep time: 40 min
Total time: 13 h
Yield: Makes about 20 falafel
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: 250g dried chickpeas, soaked overnight, never tinned; 1 small onion, roughly chopped; 4 garlic cloves; 1 large handful each of parsley and coriander; 1 teaspoon ground cumin; 1 teaspoon ground coriander; Half a teaspoon bicarbonate of soda; Salt; Neutral oil for deep frying; Hummus, salads and pickles to serve

History

Falafel became Bristol lunch vernacular through St Nicholas Market, where Eat a Pitta grew from a single stall into the city's defining queue. The family recipe behind its falafel is decades old, the boxes are built to defeat you, and the format spread with the business across five Bristol branches. In a city that votes with its lunch hour, the falafel box beat the meal deal.

Common allergens: Sesame, Gluten

Make it at home

Yield Makes about 20 falafelHands-on 40 minTotal 13 hrDifficulty Intermediate

Ingredients

250g dried chickpeas, soaked overnight, never tinned
1 small onion, roughly chopped
4 garlic cloves
1 large handful each of parsley and coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
Half a teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
Salt
Neutral oil for deep frying
Hummus, salads and pickles to serve

Method

Drain the soaked chickpeas well and blitz with onion, garlic, herbs and spices to a coarse, green-flecked crumb that just holds together when squeezed.
Stir in the bicarbonate of soda and salt and rest the mix in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Shape into walnut-sized balls and fry in 180C oil for 3 to 4 minutes until deeply browned.
Serve immediately over hummus, chopped salads and pickles in the Bristol box style.

Tip from the editors. Tinned chickpeas make wet, collapsing falafel; only soaked dried chickpeas give the crisp shell and fluffy centre.