Falafel with Cucumber Sauce

There's this amazing Mediterranean fast-casual restaurant chain in downtown Chicago called Roti.  Every time my boyfriend and I are downtown we have to stop by for some falafel and falafel wrap sandwiches.  But since we don't live downtown, and we can't have Roti all the time, I decided to make my own falafel.  I started with this recipe for Sean's Falafel and Cucumber Sauce.  Now, I don't know who Sean is, but I thank you!  This is now one of my boyfriend's and my favorite meals.  The only thing I do differently than the original recipe is use a combination of parsley and cilantro instead of just parsley.  This takes a bit of time to make, but it's very worth it.

Ingredients:

15 oz can garbanzo beans, drained
1 onion, chopped
1/4 cup fresh parsley
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 egg
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp salt
dash of pepper
pinch of cyanine
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp olive oil
1 cup dry bread crumbs
oil for frying

And for the Sauce:

12 oz plain yogurt
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and finely chopped
2 tsp dried dill weed
2 tbsp mayonnaise
salt and pepper to taste

Serve with (Optional):

Pitas
Shredded lettuce
Tomatoes

First, mix together all the sauce ingredients and chill for at least 30 minutes.

In a large bowl, mash up the garbanzos with a fork until they're smooth.  (The original recipe says don't use a blender, so I never have.  This is most tedious part.)  Then, in a food processor, chop up the parsley, garlic, cilantro, and onion.  Stir it into the beans.  

In a small bowl, combine egg, cumin, coriander, salt, pepper, cayenne, lemon juice and baking powder. Stir it into the bean mixture along with olive oil. Slowly add bread crumbs until mixture is not sticky but will hold together.  Add more or less bread crumbs as needed. Form 8 balls and then flatten into patties.

Heat an inch or so of oil in a skillet.  Fry each patty until golden brown on both sides.  Set aside on a paper towel to dry.

Serve them up in the pita with the sauce and fixings.  

Enjoy!