Chickpea falafel

The night before, cover 250 g of dried chickpeas with plenty of water and leave to hydrate overnight; next day wash them and pick out any bad ones.

Put the parsley, coriander, green chilli, garlic and onion in the food processor and add the hydrated chickpeas on top so their weight pushes the herbs onto the blade.

Pulse in short bursts, scraping down the walls and folding top to bottom every 10 seconds, until homogenous.

Check the batter three ways: it should look mostly paste, leave the hands moist when squeezed, and roll into a ball that holds without cracking.

To store, flatten the batter into a rectangle in a ziplock bag with the air squeezed out and freeze.

To use now, rest the batter half an hour to reabsorb loose moisture, then season with salt, cumin, ground coriander, cayenne and optional sesame, mixing in by hand.

Pour a few inches of vegetable oil into a pot on high heat; set a bowl and mesh strainer ready for draining.

Portion the batter with a medium or 30 gram ice cream scoop and shape into rounds or small pucks, rounding off jagged edges; dimple them with a utensil if they cook through poorly.

Heat the oil to 170 to 180 degrees Celsius to add the falafel, then hold it at 160 to 170 degrees while they cook.

Lower the falafel in with a spoon in small batches, not crowding the pot.

Fry about 6 to 8 minutes; they are done when they float and the bubbles thin out.

Lift out with a spider or slotted spoon and drain in the strainer; bring the oil back to temperature between batches.

Check one for doneness: crispy golden brown skin, cooked through with no damp or oily patches and distinct visible crumbs.

Store in the fridge and reheat in an air fryer.

To assemble: slice a pocket in a pita, squeeze in a bed of tahini sauce, add pickled cabbage and spicy onions, add Arabic salad, stuff with falafel and finish with more tahini sauce.