Wholewheat Falafel pita pocket is a popular Middle Eastern Dish and is like a sandwich made by stuffing falafel in the pocket of homemade warm pita bread surrounded with crunchy salad leaves, tomato, onion, cucumber, olives, carrots, and flavored by drizzling sauces such as hummus, aioli, tahini sauce and mint yogurt dip. Every bite of the dish is scrumptious and you can enjoy the flavor of the fresh crunchy vegetables and sauces. This is a popular Middle Eastern dish and is a complete wholesome meal perfect for lunch or dinner. Make ahead the pita pocket and falafel and then just assemble with the remaining ingredients whenever you are hungry.
I had shared with you the recipe of falafel and hummus earlier. I had made falafel using the same recipe but had baked this time instead of deep frying them. You can use the deep fried falafel to make pita pocket.
I had made pita pocket using 100% whole wheat flour. You can make it either using complete all purpose flour (maida) or combination of maida and whole wheat flour. I had shown you the easy method of cooking pita using flat pan and it does not need any fancy gadgets or oven.
The pita bread can be refrigerate for 3-4 days or freezed for 3 months in a ziplock bag put a layer of butter paper in between easy pita bread to prevent from sticking.
Friends I am sure you like this recipe and please do try this recipe and share your feedback with me.
Khao dilse, khilao dilse aur banao dilse…
Wholewheat Falafel pita pocket
Equipment
- mixing bowl small x 4
- mixing big plate
- rolling board
- cutting board
- rolling pin
- bowl with lid
- spoon
- knife
- mixture grinder
- flat pan
- measuring spoons
- measuring cups
Ingredients
Pita pocket makes 12
- 2 cup wholemeal flour
- 1 tsp dry instant yeast
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 Cup lukewarm water and more if needed
Tahini sauce makes 1 cup
- 2 tbsp tahini store brought
- 1/4 Cup water
- 1/2 Tsp lemon juice
- 2 garlic clove Chopped
- salt to taste
Mint yogurt dip makes 1 cup
- 1 cup hung yogurt I had used homemade yogurt and put it in a strainer lined with cotton clot for 3 hours in refrigerator.
- 2 Tbsp mint leaves washed and finely chopped
- 1/4 tsp roasted cumin seeds powder
- salt to taste
Assembling pita pocket
- 18 falafel
- 3 cucumber peeled and sliced
- 3 tomatoes washed and sliced
- 1 red onion thinly sliced
- 20 kalamata olives sliced
- 2 Carrot grated
- mixed salad leaves
- 1 cup hummus
- 1/2 cup garlic aioli or mayonnaise
- 6 tsp oil to grill
Instructions
Pita pocket makes 12
- In a small mixing bowl take lukewarm water and add sugar to it. Mix well.
- Add the instant dried yeast and mix well. Cover and keep aside for 10 minutes in a warm place. I kept mine in the microwave.
- In the meantime, take whole wheat flour, salt and oil in a big flat mixing plate. Mix well.
- Now after 10 minutes the yeast has risen well. It is bubbly.
- Mix the flour mixture and make a well in the center. Pour the bubbly yeast mixture in the well.
- Mix well with hand or spoon the mixture.
- Start kneading into dough with the help of your hand. Add little luke warm water if the dough feels too dry.
- Knead well with stretch and pull technique for 8-10 minutes.
- The gluten will start developing and make the dough sticky as you keep on kneading. Add little water if needed.
- Add 2 tbsp flour extra if the dough becomes more sticky and knead.
- After 8-9 minutes the dough will come together.
- Put oil on it and knead smoother.
- The dough is smooth and had come together.
- Put the dough in the bowl greased with oil and cover and put aside for minimum of one hour to rise in a warm place.
- The dough has risen well and is double in size. Punch down the dough to release the air bubbles. Knead well.
- Divide the dough into six equal portions.
- Take one portion of dough and smoothen it with palms. Tuck the dough from the edges to inside and smoothen it. Flatten .
- Dust with flour.
- With the help of a rolling pin roll into a 12 cm circle or shape oval with the thickness of 4 mm.
- Gently lift the rolled bread and put on a heated flat pan on medium heat. Bubbles will start to rise.
- Flip the bread with spatula and let it cook for couple of minutes.
- Flip again and press gently with spatula the top face of bread. It will puff up .
- Flip again and cook on another side for couple of minutes so it is cooked well from inside.
- Remove the bread in a plate and let it cool and cut it into half. Similarly make remaining bread.
- This is how the pocket look. Cover with a cloth and keep aside.
Tahini sauce makes 1 cup
- In a mixture jar take tahini paste, (I had used the store brought paste), lemon juice, garlic clove, salt .
- Blend it.
- Add water and blend again to get the smooth paste.
- The tahini sauce is ready . Remove it in a bowl and keep aside. The tahini sauce can be refrigerated for a couple of weeks and used as needed.
Mint yogurt dip makes 1 cup
- Take the hung curd or thick Greek yogurt in a bowl. Add finely chopped mint leaves, salt and roasted cumin powder.
- Mix them well and the mint yogurt dip is ready. Refrigerate it till use.
Assembling pita pocket
- The important part assembling the pita pocket. Gather all the ingredients needed to make pita pocket - whole wheat pita pocket, baked falafel or regular falafel, salad leaves or lettuce or any salad you love, sliced tomato, cucumber, onions, kalamata olives, grated carrot, hummus, tahini sauce, aioli or mayonnaise, mint yogurt dip.
- Heat the flat pan. Lightly grill the pita pocket by applying very little oil on both sides. (do not toast them or else they will break while assembling. Just lightly warm them).
- Apply a tbsp of hummus and aioli or mayonnaise on both sides of the pocket.
- Put the salad leaves in it.
- Break falafel and arrange them. Put the slice onion, cucumber, tomato, olives, grated carrot.
- Drizzle the tahini sauce, aioli, and mint yogurt dip all over.
- The whole wheat falafel pita pocket is ready. Serve it immediately with extra salad and mint yogurt dip.
looks fabulous!