Falafel

Makes 20-25
Falafel, little fried balls of ground pulses, are delicious and filling. Home-made falafel tend to be less fluffy than shop-bought versions. Adding one egg to the ground-up mixture gives a lighter texture, but it's not authentic and it makes the dough softer and a bit trickier to handle. Either way, eat them warm with the sesame dip.

- 3½ oz/100g dried chickpeas (soaked overnight in cold water with 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda)
- 7oz/200g split dried broad beans soaked overnight in cold water with 1tsp bicarbonate of soda (or use more chickpeas instead)
- 5 large garlic cloves, peeled
- 1 small onion, peeled and quartered
- 2oz/50g bunch of coriander, with most of the stalk discarded
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp Lebanese 7 spice mixture or ground allspice
- A pinch of cayenne pepper
- ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
- ¼ pint/150ml extra virgin olive oil
- Vegetable oil for frying

Rinse the chick peas and beans and drain them well. Put them in a food processor with all the other ingredients (except the vegetable oil) and start the motor. You may need to stop the machine and scrape down the bowl a few times, but keep going until the mixture is a fine, sandy paste.

Shape the mixture into walnut sized balls, rolling them in the palms of your hands. If they come out in a slightly pointed, spinning top shape, so much the better, since this is very authentic. (At this point the balls can be frozen for up to a month. Defrost them before frying.)

Heat the oil about 2in/5cm deep in a saucepan. Drop a piece of bread in the oil to check if it is hot enough. The oil should bubble around it. Fry the falafel in batches, for 3-4 minutes, turning them occasionally, until deep golden brown all over. Lift out with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper.