Falafel whachamacallit

To make the "falafel":

1 cup falafel batter (follow the recipe here or you could also use boxed falafel mix)
2 cups boiled mashed veggetables (I used beans, carrots, broccoli and corn)
Red chilli powder to taste
salt to taste

Note: These proportions make A LOT of falafels (~12-15). You could alter it if you dont want to make as many or you could make the batter/falafels and freeze it. On reheating, they taste pretty much the same as freshly made ones.

1. mix all the above ingredients to form a dough to make the falafels. The dough should not be soft nor too hard. I retain the water from the boiled veggies for the dough. You could use that if you are using the boxed mix. Be careful to start with no water and then gradually add some if needed. Usually the batter and vegetables have enough moisture for the consistency you'll need.

2. After everything is evenly mixed, make golf ball sized balls of the dough. You could bake and broil these like meatballs if you plan to eat them in a pita sandwich. For a burger, you want to flatten them and either cook them in the oven or roast them in a pan like you would roast aloo tikkis. I havent tried baking them from scratch. I made one without a drop of oil and another one with olive oil spray and honestly, you cannot tell the difference when the falafel is inside your sandwich/burger. You may need to spray a little oil if you're cooking it in the oven.

Yogurt sauce (use this if you are making a pita sandwich. I didnt love the yogurt with bread but that could be my personal preference)

1 cup greek yogurt
1 cup finely chopped or grated cucumber (take out all the water before adding to the yogurt)
1 teaspoon dried mint leaves
1 teaspoon dried dill weed
salt and pepper to taste

mix all the ingredients and let the yogurt sit in the fridge for 10-15 minutes.

this sauce/dip tastes really good with crackers, carrots and plain jeera rice or peas pulav.

Green chutney (use this if you are making a "burger" using wheat bread, multi-grain bread etc. You could also use it with pita.)

1 bunch cilantro- washed and finely chopped
1 bunch fresh mint leaves- washed and finely chopped
2-3 green chillies- washed and chopped (unless you dont do well with spicy food, you want the chutney to be a lil spicy)
1 tea spoon ginger-garlic paste
1 tea spoon cumin powder
1 tea spoon coriander powder
1 tea spoon sugar
1/4 tea spoon black salt (optional)
lemon juice to taste
salt to taste

blend everything together.

this chutney goes well with practically everything- tikkis, poha, roti, bread, you name it.

Assemble the sandwich or burger using the above ingridients, pita or bread and fresh veggies. Unlike a lot of sandwiches, I feel that the "salad" in the sandwich really adds to the taste. Fresh iceburg lettuce adds an element of crunch. Radishes/tomatoes/turnips/onions add another layer of texture and "tangyness".

I havent tried the chutney and yogurt sauce together yet, but come to think of it, they should taste pretty good too.