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1
The night before, soak 11/2 cups dried chickpeas in water. In a separate bowl, cover 2/3 cups steel cut oats with water; let sit overnight.
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2
Before preparing falafel, mix plain yogurt, the English cucumber, fresh cilantro, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp garlic powder, and 1/4 tsp onion powder. Let sit for flavors to marry as you prepare the falafel. The longer it sits, the better.
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3
Fit your food processor with the steel mixing blade. In the bowl of processor, measure 21/2 cups soaked chickpeas, 2/3 cups steel cut oats,chopped red onion, garlic cloves, fresh parsley,fresh cilantro, cumin, salt, cayenne, and a squeeze of lemon juice. Turn food processor on low and mix until contents begin to stick together; go beyond a rice texture, but don't quite blend to a paste. You want it to have a nice, full falafel texture.
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4
Once everything is mixed, test a small bit of the batter by rolling into a ball the size of a ping pong ball. If it's too dry and the ball does not hold its shape, add a little bit of the oat water from the bowl and incorporate into the mixture. This will help it stick together. Roll the mixture evenly into balls and place on a plate. Once balls are rolled, place plate in the refrigerator.
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5
Meanwhile, pour about 3 inches of vegetable oil in a skillet. Heat over high until oil reaches 375 degrees. Remove falafel from fridge and carefully add to hot oil. Cook, 6 balls at a time, until falafel turns golden brown, about 45 seconds a batch. Make sure your oil stays hot so the falafel balls fry evenly. When done, put on a paper towel covered plate.
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6
Serve falafel when it's hot by spreading a generous amount of prepared hummus in a pita, add shredded lettuce, diced red onion, diced tomato, and falafel. Drizzle with cucumber-yogurt sauce, top with a pepperoncini and enjoy!
