I love food in general, but if I were to pick the cuisine I love the most, it probably is the Middle Eastern one. I love the blend of spices, the smell they bring, and of course, I love how they make the dishes shine.

This may give you a clue of how this falafel and hummus flatbread recipe saw the light of day. However, I need to tell you more since there are so many components involved.

Now the way this recipe got to be what it is today is simple to understand. I wanted to answer a question many people have, which is what to eat with flatbread.

Truth be told, we eat it with almost anything. From Turkish Eggs to curries, flatbreads find their way to our table every week. We love how simple it is to make a batch and enjoy some warm bread in less than 5 minutes. Especially when it comes to this specific flatbread recipe.

So with this idea in mind, I began to think of what flatbread toppings I would use if I were to create a plate starting from our easy flatbread recipe. And since falafel and hummus are two of my all-time favorite things to eat, you can assume the rest.

This being said, I will take each component at a time and explain the cooking process, and we will wrap everything up once you have all the details. Are you ready? Let's go!

Falafel recipe:

• For this part, you will need to prepare in advance. This means that you will need to soak your dry chickpeas in water for at least 8 hours, but overnight is better.
• Once they have doubled in size, drain the liquid and place your chickpeas, along with the onion, garlic, parsley, and spices, in a food processor. Pulse until they reach a chopped nuts texture. You want your chickpeas to be smooth but not 100%.
• Transfer the composition to a bowl when you have them in the nutty state. Add the flour and the baking powder, then stir to combine.
• Start assemble your falafel. They should be more or less the size of a ping-pong ball.

As a tip, work with wet hands. It's easier. Also, you may think that they will fall apart when you form them, but they won't. The flour won't allow it.

• With the falafel formed, you can start the cooking process.

You will likely end up with around 12-14 pieces which is more than you will need for this recipe. You can cook all of them and eat the leftovers at different times, or you can freeze them individually and cook them on different occasions.

• When it comes to cooking falafel, you can choose whatever method suits you better. The classic approach is to fry them in hot oil for around 2 minutes on each side or until nice and golden. But you can also use your oven (180 degrees Celsius for 15 minutes on each side) or the air fryer (190 degrees Celsius for 7 minutes on each side).

Each method works but remember that the oven and the air fryer will dry them more. Of course, they will be healthier.

• With your falafel cooked, leave them aside and focus on the next part.

Hummus recipe:

Before going to the actual steps, I need to tell you that you don't need to use canned chickpeas if you don't want to. You can definitely boil your own chickpeas and get them ready in advance. They make the dish even better if you do so. But for simplicity, I usually use canned ones.

• Drain your chickpeas and place 3/4 of them in your food processor along with the tahini, lemon juice, garlic, and salt. Save the other ones for later.
• Start pulsing until you reach a stiff paste, then drizzle the ice-cold water with the processor still running. At first you, the hummus will become stiffer, but then you will see that it gets really nice and smooth. You should mix everything for about 5 minutes. Give it a taste and adjust the seasoning as you see fit.

Salsa

• Heat up a cast iron skillet and drizzle a little bit of olive oil. Char your cherry tomatoes for a couple of minutes on each side.

‍

‍

• Then place them in a bowl, add some salt and let them cool down.
• Peel your shallot and garlic. I use a mandoline to make very thin strips. However, you can also use a knife for this purpose. The idea is to create thin pieces of shallot and garlic.
• Add them to a bowl, along with as much or as little hot pepper as you like and salt. Massage them (maybe use a glove) to help the ingredients release all their flavors. Add the lemon juice, olive oil, and thyme. Stir to combine.
• Return to your charred tomatoes. Peel them gently. You want only to remove the skin and not the pulp.
• Place the pulp on a chopping board, chop it into smaller bits and transfer them along with its juices over the spicy mixture.

‍

‍

• Stir to combine and let it rest

Tzatziki

• Peel your cucumber. Grate it in a bowl and massage it with salt. This will allow it to lose its water and won't make your tzatziki watery.
• Drain the excess liquid and sprinkle olive oil over the cucumber. Stir to combine.
• Peel the garlic and also grate it in your cucumber bowl. Add the Greek yogurt and the finely chopped dill.

‍

‍

• Stir, give it a taste, and season according to your preferences.

Flatbread

• The first step here is to really heat up a non-stick skillet. Place it on your stove at high temp and leave it there for at least 5 minutes. The hotter, the better.
• Combine the flour with the baking soda and the yogurt. Using your hand start working on the dough.
• Add a couple of drops of water at a time. You probably will need around 1/4 cup of water. However, this really depends on the flour you use, the humidity in the room, and so on.
• Long story short, you want to stop when you have a firm dough the size of your fist.
• Sprinkle some extra flour on a working surface and bring your dough there. Divide it into two pieces.
• Take one of the pieces and flat it as much as possible using a rolling pin. Extra points if you can make it round. I can't, so my flatbreads always have funny shapes.
• Drizzle some olive oil in the hot skillet. Place the flatbread and give it a quick wiggle. Let it cook for 1 minute.

‍

‍

• Flip it and cook it for another minute. Take it out and repeat the process with the other piece of dough.

That's it! Now let's assemble it.

Place a flatbread on a plate. Spread half of the hummus, then sprinkle some of the remaining chickpeas. Add a layer of salsa, top it with 3 falafels and finish with a drizzle of tzatziki. Repeat the process for the other flatbread and enjoy.

This may seem like a very long recipe, but as a matter of fact, it's super easy to prepare, and the satisfaction when eating it is over the top. If you want to make it 100% vegan, you can. 

We tried it, and the only part that we really hated was the tzatziki. The vegan version has a texture that it's a little bit fishy. But if you don't mind it, go ahead and make it vegan.

Finally, suppose you are looking for more Middle Eastern-inspired recipes. In that case, you can check out our Perfectly Spicy Batata Harra, our Easy Cheesy Sambousek, or for a sweet encounter, our Creamy Basbousa with a Caramelized Surprise.

Anyway, I hope you will give our Falafel and Hummus Flatbread a try. If you do so, remember to give us an Instagram tag so we can see your opinion.

‍