Recipe: Falafel Crepes

In The Guardian, a future dystopia where corporations run the government, food has morphed and changed to fit the geopolitical realities of its time. The main character, Iliya Rusul, lives in an isolated biodome in the desert, in a society originally founded by billionaires from Europe and the Middle East. The resulting culture of her village is a mix of fierce individualism, Middle Eastern and Western European cuisine, and traditions centered around family life.

Image by Ali Alnuaimi on Unsplash

One of my favorite aspects of writing The Guardian was imagining future cuisine in different pockets of the globe. (BIG THANKS to my editor, Trisha Wooldridge, for pushing me to flesh out the worldbuilding here!) In Iliya’s home village, cuisine included cultural fusions such as falafel crepes, luqaimat and strudel, and tharid stew with spaetzle and gougeres. I thought it would be fun to build recipes of these unique cultural fusions for fans to try!

Here’s my first recipe: falafel crepes.

Falafel Crepes

This recipe is a fun mashup of Middle Eastern and French cuisine from Iliya’s home village.

(6-8 servings)

Falafel ingredients:

• 1 ¾ cups dried chickpeas

• 2 garlic cloves, lightly crushed

• ½ onion, quartered

• 1 teaspoon ground coriander

• 1 tablespoon ground cumin

• 1 teaspoon ground cayenne (or to taste)

• ½ cup chopped fresh parsley

• 1 teaspoon salt

• ½ teaspoon black pepper (or to taste)

• ½ teaspoon baking soda

• 1 tablespoon lemon juice (or to taste)

• Neutral oil, such as grapeseed or canola, for deep-frying

Crepe ingredients:

• 2 large eggs

• ½ cup milk, or more as needed

• ½ cup water

• ¼ teaspoon salt or to taste

• 1 cup all-purpose flour

• 2 tablespoons butter, melted

Tahini ingredients:

• 1 cup sesame seeds

• ¼ cup olive oil, or as needed

Falafel directions:

1.Step 1

Put chickpeas in a large bowl and cover with water by 3 to 4 inches; they will triple in volume as they soak. Soak for 24 hours, checking once or twice to see if you need to add water to keep the chickpeas covered.

2.Step 2

Drain chickpeas well and transfer to a food processor with all the remaining ingredients except the oil; pulse until minced but not puréed; add water tablespoon by tablespoon if necessary to allow the machine to do its work, but keep the mixture as dry as possible. (Too much water and your falafel will fall apart. If that happens, add more ground chickpeas.) Taste and adjust seasoning, adding more salt, pepper, cayenne or a little more lemon juice as needed.

3.Step 3

Put 2 to 3 inches of oil in a large saucepan. Turn heat to medium high and heat oil to 350 degrees F.

4.Step 4

Scoop out tablespoons of the mixture and shape it into balls or small patties.

Step 5

Fry in batches, without crowding, until browned, turning as necessary; total cooking time per batch will be less than 5 minutes. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Crepe directions:

1.Step 1

Whisk eggs, milk, water, and salt together in a large mixing bowl. Add flour and melted butter; whisk vigorously until batter is smooth and pourable. If the batter is too thick to spread easily in the pan, whisk in 1 tablespoon milk at a time until it reaches the proper consistency.

2.Step 2

Heat a lightly buttered or oiled griddle or frying pan over medium-high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the pan, using approximately 1/4 cup for each crepe. Tilt the pan with a circular motion so that the batter coats the surface evenly.

3.Step 3

Cook until the top of the crepe is no longer wet and the bottom has turned light brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Run a spatula around the edge of the skillet to loosen the crepe; flip and cook until the other side has turned light brown, about 1 minute more.

Tahini directions:

1.Step 1

Spread sesame seeds onto a baking sheet.

2.Step 2

Bake in oven preheated to 350 degrees F until seeds are fragrant, stirring every few minutes, for 10 to 12 minutes.

3.Step 3

Transfer toasted seeds to a blender and add olive oil. Blend until completely smooth, adding additional oil if needed.

Combining it all:

1.Step 1

Spread a thin layer of tahini onto the crepes.

2.Step 2

Wrap the falafel into the crepes. Can serve with additional tahini as a dipping sauce and/or top with sesame seeds or zaatar seasoning. Can include fresh veggies like lettuce, tomato, onion, and/or cucumber in the wrap as well. Enjoy!

How did it turn out? Anything need to be adjusted? Let me know on my socials! Thank you!