Japanese Falafel #FFFMysteryBox

You ever wondered what you would make if you were on chopped? Well we played a game of chopped and this was born. Japanese Falafel, all the things you love about falafel but with all Japanese flavors!

You ever watch that show Chopped on Food Network?? We we decided to do the same thing as a group of food bloggers. The premise is you get three ingredients (that could be completely unrelated) and you need to use them all in a dish. So we changed it a little bit. The three ingredients needs to be non perishable, since we needed to mail them.

Check out the bottom of this post for more FFF Mystery Box Recipes!

I was super thrilled to play along... Then I got my box! 

So of course Japanese food is my least favorite and the one I know the least about...

I got a box with Sweet rice flour, adzuki beans and black garlic. 

I wanted to make something sweet since adzuki beans are the red beans used in Japnese red bean ice cream and red bean paste.... Until I saw the black garlic. I considered black garlic frosting. 

Really! Seriously...

Then I considered what I could make from the beans that was savory and I needed flour for.... A veggie burger? No let's do something nuts (like I do) and completely take one ethnicity's food and bend it to accommodate Japanese flavors.

And so Japanese Falafel was born! I like

It, but don't love it since I'm not not into the umami and the flavors that still feel foreign to me. 

Yes- this "foodie" doesn't like sushi... I was ashamed. I tried to hide it, but now I own it.

So I found THIS awesome falafel recipe from Gimme Some Oven and I just went ahead and Japanse'd it! Instead of cumin, I added ginger, instead of lemon, I added lime... and then fresh horseradish for some zing (and so on)!

I also made a Japanese slaw to go with it! Interestingly, the falafel is VEGAN and GLUTEN FREE if you don't eat with bread or the wasabi mayo.

This falafel did taste great... But I will be honest all the fresh horseradish made my belly hurt.

I have a Japanese Falafel food hangover. Lol.

Eat responsibly!

What you need

Japanese Slaw

1/8 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp wasabi powder
1 tbsp sesame oil
Salt & Pepper
3 cups thinly sliced savoy (curly) cabbage
1/4 cup shredded fresh horseradish (not for the faint of heart or belly)
A little shredded red and orange bell pepper for color

Falafel

6 cloves black garlic, peeled
1 1/2 cup cooked Adzuki beans
1 1/2 cups fresh parsley leaves, tightly-packed
1/2 inch of fresh ginger
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 cup diced white or red onion
1/3 cup sweet rice flour
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons fresh shredded horseradish
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
4 tablespoons canola oil to fry them with
Wasabi Mayonaise and toasted sesames for topping

How to Make it

1- Whisk together rice vinegar, olive oil, wasabi powder, sesame oil, salt and pepper in large bowl. 

2- Add in your cabbage, bell pepper and horseradish, combine well with dressing and refrigerate.

3- Place all ingredients for falafel except oil and mayo in food processor and blend well until pretty uniform.

4- Heat canola oil in large frying pan on medium high.
(Make sure it's at temp by putting a small bit of falafel in pan, it should bubble up right away)

5- While oil is heating take falafel mixture 2 tablespoons at a time, roll in hands and smash into little patties.

6- Fry falafel in batches of 6. 

7- Serve in a pocket pita with the Japanese slaw, some wasabi mayo and toasted sesame seeds.

##FFFMysteryBox Participant Links and Ingredients

• Gluten-Free Lemon Donuts w/ Blueberry Bourbon Glaze topped w/ Cacao Nibs and Candied Fennel Seeds by Nomageddon (chickpea flour, canned blueberries, chocolate covered cacao nibs, candied fennel seeds)
• Japanese Falafel by NY Foodgasm (sweet rice flour, adzuki beans, black garlic)
• Lemongrass Ginger Ice Cream with Spicy Tapioca Topping by Quarter Life Crisis Cuisine (fresh lemongrass, candied ginger, black tapioca pearls)
• Prickly Pear-Marinated Shrimp Tacos with Honey-Glazed Chorizo & BBQ Crema by Big Flavors from a Tiny Kitchen (spicy barbecue sauce, prickly pear soda, Spanish chorizo picante, honey)
• Tilapia and Sardines in Creamy Asparagus Sauce over Confetti Couscous by girlichef (dried dragon fruit, asparagus pesto, sardines in Harissa)