So, I don’t necessarily love to stick to rules when it comes to cuisine types. Who said you can’t take a traditional Middle Eastern lamb recipe, make it vegan and Mexican-ise it by putting it on tacos? Nobody. So I did it and the results were amazeballs. In fact, I challenge you to find anyone who wouldn’t enjoy these vegan chickpea kofta tacos!
Although I don’t identify as “gluten free”, I try to avoid eating too much of it as I just find that my body prefers it that way. I know a lot of people feel the same way, and it’s often really easy to make vegan recipes gluten free. For this one to be sans-gluten you just need to use gluten free rolled oats and tortillas. Easy.
I used a food processor to make the chickpea koftas but you could get away with a blender on pulse setting. Just be careful not to over-blend because you want to keep a bit of texture in these babies. Another point to mention: don’t skip the refrigeration part. Your mixture will be too crumbly and your balls won’t be so amazeballs after all.
It’s not mentioned in the recipe but you’ll notice I sprinkled a little of my home made sauerkraut on top. Definitely non-essential but go for it if you have some at home. After the pics I also added a sprinkle of fresh chilli because I’m a crazy spicy food nut. It definitely works if you want to do the same 😉
On the other hand, what is essential is the coconut mint dressing to drizzle on top of the kofta balls. I kid you not, this stuff totally completes the dish. You know, in an “I love you, you complete me” kind of way. Shut up. Just shut up. I had you at hello, right?
PS: I wrote a post to clear up the confusion about whether oats are actually gluten-free, and why I never label my oat-containing recipes as gluten-free (even if they are otherwise GF). Check it out by clicking here.
Gluten free and melt-in-your-mouth good!
- 1 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
- 400g can chickpeas
- 2 large carrots grated
- 1 brown onion finely diced
- 2 cloves fresh garlic minced
- 3cm piece fresh ginger finely grated
- 1/2 cup oats
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp ground cardomom
- 1/2 tsp fine salt
- cracked pepper to taste
- 1/2 bunch fresh dill finely chopped (plus extra sprigs to serve)
- 12 soft corn tortillas (gluten free)
- 1/2 cup hummus for serving
- 3 tbsp coconut oil or other HSP oil* (see note)
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Use a small single-serve blender to pulse the oats just for a few times until it's broken down to a course flour.
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Heat the olive oil over medium heat and add the onion. Cook for 3 minutes.
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Add the garlic and spices and cook for a further 2 minutes.
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Add the oats, salt & pepper, chickpeas, grated carrots, fresh dill and onion mixture to a food processor and pulse till just combined (don't over-do it, you want to keep some texture).
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Roll into tablespoon sized balls arranged on a plate and refrigerate for 1 hour.
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In the meantime, make your coconut mint dressing according to the recipe in the notes below (this will take less than 5 minutes - just 4 ingredients in a blender, voila!)
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Heat 1.5 tbsp of the coconut oil at a time in a large saucepan over high heat and fry the kofta balls in 2 batches till perfectly golden. Roll them gently in the pan with a long pair of tongs so that they get an even golden seal.
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Moisten the soft tacos by sprinkling them with a little water, then dry-fry over medium heat in a non-stick (important!) pan. Just around 10 seconds on each side will do.
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To serve, spread a little hummus on the bottom of each taco, add a couple of koftas and top with a drizzle the coconut mint dressing.
Option: Add a sprinkle of sauerkraut and/or fresh chilli! Yummo.
*Get the recipe for the Coconut Mint Dressing here. Feel free to use any high smoke point (HSP) oil instead of coconut oil. I try to avoid vegetable oils and seed oils like the plague, but some other healthier options are organic avocado or peanut oil (note that each of these will bring a slightly different flavour). Sesame oil has a stronger flavour but it works with this recipe so you could also try that.
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