Falafel in Laffa with Tahini and Pickles with homemade sauerkraut and homemade tahini sauce

👨‍🍳 Method

To assemble

1. 1
   Soak the chickpeas a whole night (about 12 hours) in plenty of cold water, drain, spread on a towel and dry well.

   Bowl

   💡Soak in plenty of water, well above what's being soaked: legumes and grains swell and drink water, and whatever sticks out stays hard. Drain well before continuing.
2. 2
   Grind the chickpeas in a food processor with the parsley, cilantro, onion and garlic, in pulses, to an even, grainy mixture, not a paste.

   Food processor

   💡In a food processor, grind in short pulses and check between pulses: it's easy to go from coarse to paste. (Sesame for tahini, on the other hand, is ground continuously.)
3. 3
   Add the cumin, turmeric and salt, mix and refrigerate 30 minutes.

   Refrigerator
4. 4
   Form walnut-size balls with wet hands and press each one lightly.
5. 5
   Heat the oil' in a deep pot' to 175°C (345°F) and fry the balls in batches for 3–4 minutes, until golden. Transfer to paper towels.

   StoveSlotted spoonCandy/oil thermometerDeep pot for frying

   💡Keep the oil at 170–180°C: too cold, and the food soaks up oil; too hot, and it browns outside before the inside cooks. Without a thermometer, dip the tip of a wooden spoon in the oil: when medium bubbles form around it right away, the oil is hot enough.

   💡Don't overload the oil: every piece that goes in cools it down. Fry one piece as a test, then the rest in several batches, and transfer to paper towels.
6. 6
   Warm the laffas and spread a little tahini on each.

   StoveFrying pan
7. 7
   Remove the outer leaves of the cabbage.
8. 8
   Slice the cabbage into thin ribbons.

   KnifeCutting board
9. 9
   Put the cabbage in a large bowl, sprinkle the salt over it and knead by hand for 5 minutes, until the cabbage softens and releases liquid.

   Bowl

   💡Salt at 2–2.5% of the cabbage's weight: less than that and the good bacteria don't thrive and the cabbage may spoil; more and it's too salty and ferments less.
10. 10
    Pack the cabbage tightly into a clean jar, with the liquid it released, until it is completely covered by liquid.

    Jar

    💡All the cabbage must be under the liquid: oxygen is the enemy of fermentation, and a piece sticking out above it can spoil the whole jar.
11. 11
    Close and leave at room temperature, away from the sun, 7–14 days, until the cabbage is as sour as you like.
12. 12
    Move to the fridge.

    Refrigerator
13. 13
    Arrange the falafel, the tomatoes and the sauerkraut on the laffas and drizzle the rest of the tahini on top.
14. 14
    Roll up the laffas and serve.
15. 15
    Mix the tahini and lemon juice and season with salt.
16. 16
    Gradually add cold water while stirring, until the sauce is smooth, pale and pourable.

    💡When you add the first water, the tahini thickens and looks like dough: that's fine. Keep adding water and stirring, and it loosens into a smooth sauce.