The Health Hotel Klosterhof — Alpine Hideaway & Spa in Bavaria has shared a special recipe with us: fresh wild garlic falafel, perfect for spring. Spicy, aromatic, and pleasantly light—a wonderful alternative to classic, deep-fried falafel.
Wild garlic—the wild herb right outside your door
Wild garlic is one of the first wild herbs to sprout each year, and for many, its appearance is a true highlight of spring. It grows mainly in shady deciduous forests, often forming entire carpets. What about its flavor? Intensely garlicky, yet fresher and greener. The best way to identify it is to rub a leaf between your fingers. The intense garlic scent is unmistakable.
If you’re unsure how to identify wild garlic reliably (and avoid mistaking it for poisonous look-alikes), check out our Insight article via the link. There, we’ll show you what to look for and provide ideas for recipes using wild garlic.
Baked falafel instead of fried
At Klosterhof – Alpine Hideaway & Spa, the connection between nature and mindful eating is paramount. As a wellness hotel, the staff focuses on using fresh, regional, organic ingredients to create light, easy-to-digest cuisine. For example, the falafel here is baked in the oven instead of being deep-fried in oil. This reduces fat without sacrificing flavor.
To achieve the ideal texture, it is best to prepare the chickpeas yourself. Soak them in water overnight and then cook them in a pressure cooker for about 25 minutes, depending on the appliance, until they are soft and can easily be mashed but still retain their shape.
Falafel with wild garlic
Ingredients
- 300 g Chickpeas Cooked and well drained
- 50 g Orange carrots Organic
- 50 g Yellow carrots Organic
- 25 g Parsley
- 20 g Fresh wild garlic
- 60 g Chopped onion
- 70 g Chickpea flour (if you don't have any, regular flour will work too)
- 40 g Tahini
- 20 g Lemon juice
- 20 g Sunflower oil Organic
- 8 g Salt (1 to 1.5 heaped teaspoons)
- 2 g Ras el Hanout (1 heaped teaspoon)
- 2 g Garam Masala (1 heaped teaspoon)
- 1 g Cayenne pepper (1 level teaspoon)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 160 °C (convection).
- Finely grate the carrots.
- Finely chop the parsley, wild garlic, and onion.
- Place the chickpeas in a large bowl and roughly mash them with a fork or potato masher. A slightly chunky texture is ideal, so do not puree them completely.
- Stir in the onion, carrots, parsley, and wild garlic.
- Add the tahini, lemon juice, and sunflower oil.
- Season with salt, ras el hanout, garam masala, and cayenne pepper.
- Finally, fold in the chickpea flour until the mixture is easy to shape. If the mixture is too wet, add a little more chickpea flour.
- Using damp hands, shape the falafel mixture into about 15 small balls, flattening them slightly.
- Arrange the falafel on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake at 160 °C for about 5 minutes.
- Then, either bake at 180°C for another 5–10 minutes or fry in a pan with a little oil until golden brown.
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