Falafel with Tomato and Coconut Sauce
Falafel with tomato and coconut sauce is a plant-based main course made from chickpeas, fresh herbs and a creamy coconut-tomato sauce. The Thermomix chops the chickpeas and herbs to the ideal consistency and simmers the sauce hands-free. Serve these golden falafel with rice, flatbread or a fresh salad for a satisfying vegetarian dinner.
About this recipe
Falafel with tomato and coconut sauce Thermomix TM7 brings a Middle Eastern classic straight to your all-in-one kitchen machine. Instead of store-bought falafel mix, you start from dried chickpeas, which the TM7 chops into a coarse, slightly textured base — exactly what gives falafel their characteristic bite after frying. Fresh coriander, parsley, onion and garlic are blended evenly through the mixture, so every ball carries the same herb-forward flavour. The real time-saver is the sauce: tinned chopped tomatoes, coconut milk and stock simmer gently with automatic stirring, producing a velvety, mildly sweet sauce without splattering or sticking. This recipe suits a quick weeknight dinner as well as casual entertaining, since the falafel can be shaped ahead and fried just before serving. Anyone searching for vegan falafel recipes with Thermomix will appreciate how one bowl handles both the mixture and the sauce, leaving less washing up and more time at the table.
Preparation tips
- Soak the dried chickpeas overnight in plenty of cold water; they should roughly double in size. Properly soaked chickpeas chop into a crumbly, not pasty, mixture, which keeps the fried falafel light inside and crisp outside.
- Shape the falafel with wet hands or a small ice-cream scoop for uniform balls. Chilling the shaped falafel in the fridge for half an hour before frying helps them hold their shape in the hot vegetable oil.
- For a lighter version, flatten the falafel into small patties and pan-fry them in a thin layer of olive oil. Serve with flatbread, rice or couscous and extra fresh coriander and parsley scattered over the coconut sauce.
Recipe variations
- Baked falafel variation: place the shaped chickpea balls on a lined tray, brush with olive oil and bake until golden, turning once. This yields a lighter falafel with less oil while keeping the crisp exterior and soft herb centre.
- Festive variation: add a pinch of ground cumin, coriander seed and a little chilli to the chickpea mixture, and stir fresh spinach into the tomato and coconut sauce just before serving for a colourful dinner-party platter.
Thermomix TM7 Benefits
- The Thermomix chops the soaked chickpeas into a crumbly falafel base in seconds, giving every ball the ideal coarse texture. [Multi-Function]
- Precise heating simmers the coconut milk and chopped tomatoes into a silky sauce without sticking or splattering on the worktop. [Precision Control]
- The built-in scale weighs the dried chickpeas directly in the mixing bowl, so the falafel ratio is accurate without extra cups. [Built-in Scale]
- Hands-free mixing blends onion, garlic, coriander and parsley evenly through the chickpea mixture while you shape the falafel. [Hands-Free]
- Grinding a vegetable stock cube directly into the tomato sauce seasons the coconut base uniformly without lumps of undissolved stock. [Multi-Function]
Ingredients
- dried chickpeas
- water
- onions
- garlic cloves
- fresh coriander
- fresh parsley
- ground cumin
- salt
- chilli powder
- lemon juice