I went to Ela and the cauliflower falafel on the Mediterranean-influenced menu caught my eye. Ordered it and it was everything I hoped it would be. Any way you can help get the recipe?
— Lauren Janis, Atlanta
Ela’s culinary director Mark Jeffers shared the recipe for the restaurant’s gluten-free falafel and sent along this note.
“Falafel is such a beloved snack and street food in Mediterranean culture, so we knew we wanted to include a version on our menu. We experimented with several iterations before finding that when you add cauliflower to the recipe it creates a really pleasant texture that’s lighter, fluffier and more moist than the traditional recipe.”
An individual serving at Ela is four falafel served with Tomato Chutney and Tahini Ranch.
Like many chefs, Jeffers prefers using Diamond Crystal kosher salt in his cooking.
“It has a nice medium-sized flake. If the flakes are large, they don’t absorb quickly while tweaking the seasoning, and if the flakes are too fine, it’s hard to see exactly how much you’re using.”
Riced cauliflower is finely chopped cauliflower available at the grocery store as a frozen item called either cauliflower rice or riced cauliflower. Or you may want to prepare riced cauliflower as they do at Ela. Cut a small head of cauliflower into florets and toss with olive oil and salt. Bake in a covered pan at 300 degrees for 30 minutes or until tender. Allow to cool and then pulse in a food processor until the cauliflower pieces are the size of grains of rice.
Ela’s Cauliflower Falafel
- 1 cup dry chickpeas, sorted and rinsed
- 3/4 cup packed parsley leaves, plus more for garnish
- 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons packed cilantro leaves and tender stems
- 1 tablespoon chopped yellow onion
- 2 large garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon chopped jalapeno, seeds removed if desired
- 1 cup frozen riced cauliflower, thawed
- 3 tablespoons chickpea flour, plus more if needed
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- 3/4 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- Vegetable oil, for frying
- Tomato Chutney (see recipe)
- Tahini Ranch (see recipe)
- Place chickpeas in a large bowl and add water to cover by 3 inches. Soak overnight. Check water level while soaking to ensure chickpeas stay submerged, adding more water if needed.
- When ready to prepare falafel, drain chickpeas and discard soaking liquid. Transfer chickpeas to the bowl of a food processor fitted with the S-blade. Pulse until chickpeas are reduced to the texture of wet sand, about 1 minute. Scrape down sides of the bowl as needed to make sure chickpeas are evenly processed. Transfer chickpeas to a large bowl. Do not rinse food processor bowl.
- In the food processor bowl, combine parsley, cilantro, onion, garlic and jalapeno. Pulse until finely chopped, about 20 pulses. Transfer to bowl with chickpeas. Stir in riced cauliflower, chickpea flour, salt, cumin, coriander, cardamom and baking powder. Use a scoop to form a 1 1/2-inch ball as a test. If mixture doesn’t hold together as a ball, add more chickpea flour by the teaspoon until mixture forms a ball.
- In a Dutch oven over medium heat, heat 3 inches of vegetable oil to 350 degrees. Place a paper towel-lined baking sheet next to the cooktop.
- Use a scoop to form 9 (1 1/2-inch) balls and carefully lower each into hot oil. Cook for about 5 minutes or until golden brown, turning to brown evenly all over. Use a slotted spoon to remove falafel and drain on prepared baking sheet. Continue until all falafel are cooked.
- Garnish with parsley leaves and serve immediately with Tomato Chutney and Tahini Ranch.
Makes 18 falafel.
Per falafel (without Tomato Chutney or Tahini Ranch): 111 calories (percent of calories from fat, 57), 3 grams protein, 9 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams total sugars, 2 grams fiber, 7 grams total fat (1 gram saturated), no cholesterol, 107 milligrams sodium.
Tomato Chutney
- 2 large Roma tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons minced red onion
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons white vinegar
- 3/4 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon ground sumac
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
- Core tomatoes and cut in half lengthwise. Use a 4-sided grater and, holding tomato halves cut side down, grate pulp into a medium bowl using the largest holes. Discard skins.
- Stir in onion, salt, vinegar, sugar, sumac, cumin and coriander.
- May be made ahead and refrigerated in a covered container for up to 1 day.
Makes 1 cup.
Per tablespoon: 5 calories (percent of calories from fat, 13), trace protein, 1 gram carbohydrates, trace total sugars, trace fiber, trace total fat (trace saturated fat), no cholesterol, 106 milligrams sodium.
Tahini Ranch
- 1/4 cup tahini
- 1/4 cup labneh
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup chopped dill
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley leaves
- 2 tablespoons thinly sliced chives
- 1/4 teaspoon minced garlic
- Stir together tahini, labneh, mayonnaise, dill, parsley, chives and garlic in a medium bowl.
- May be made ahead and refrigerated in a covered container for up to 2 days.
Makes 1 cup.
Per tablespoon: 39 calories (percent of calories from fat, 69), 1 gram protein, 2 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram total sugars, trace fiber, 3 grams total fat (1 gram saturated), 3 milligrams cholesterol, 32 milligrams sodium.
From the menu of ... Ela, 1186 N. Highland Ave. NE, Atlanta; 404-873-4656, ela-atlanta.com.
Is there a recipe from a metro Atlanta restaurant you’d like to make at home? Tell us and we’ll try to get it. We’ll also test it and adapt it for the home kitchen. Because of volume, we can’t answer all inquiries. Send your request, your address and phone number to fromthemenu@gmail.com and put “From the menu of” and the name of the restaurant in the subject line.
Sign up for the AJC Food and Dining Newsletter
Read more stories like this by liking Atlanta Restaurant Scene on Facebook, following @ATLDiningNews on Twitter and @ajcdining on Instagram.
About the Author
Keep Reading
The Latest
Featured
