The one thing I never run out of is baked beans.
Perfect for when I want beans on toast,
but I've found a fun way of taking the humble can of baked beans
and turning them into something a little bit more interesting.
If you thought you had to use chickpeas to make
falafel, think again.
My baked bean cheat on this classic is simple, speedy
and a real family favourite.
I'm starting by opening four tins of beans.
I am popping all my beans straight into a colander.
But you can see I've got a bowl underneath,
because I want the beans without any of that liquid.
Well, it's really satisfying the way that's dripping out those holes!
Whatever you do, don't throw it away, we're going to use it.
That's packed full of flavour.
Run them under a tap to rinse off any remaining sauce.
I'm going to whizz those up.
Every good falafel has garlic - and lots of it.
So I've got six cloves of garlic
and then an onion.
You want to be generous with the herbs,
so lots and lots of fresh parsley.
Add an egg and then season it well.
Then we're going to add some chilli powder
and about a tablespoon of ground coriander
and then cumin - I love cumin!
So, now, just to bind everything together I'm going to add chickpea
flour and I grew up using this making pakoras -
you know, that's the flour we had.
What I love about it is that it's a very distinct nutty flavour.
It's a tasty alternative to regular flour and perfect for falafel.
You can feel, like, the whole mixture kind of tighten up.
You know it's ready when it doesn't just kind of gloop off.
It's stuck. I mean, that's going nowhere.
I've got a baking tray lined with some baking paper
and I've got some water at the ready.
If I dip my finger in, look what happens, it all sticks to my finger.
But if I stick my finger in with wet hands,
it doesn't stick to my finger!
Falafel is normally deep-fried,
which means they need constant attention.
To free up precious time, I'm going to bake them in the oven.
They still need a little bit of oil, just so they crisp
up around the edges.
I've got the oven preheated to 200
and these are going to take about 25 to 30 minutes.
I bet you thought I was joking when I said I was going to use the sauce.
No, we're going to use the sauce.
It's going to transform these onions, carrots and cabbage
into an effortless zingy slaw.
It's already packed full of flavour, but I'm taking it to the next
level with garlic...
..parsley, spicy sriracha...
..and a good pinch of salt.
Then there's lemon juice straight out of a bottle
and creamy mayonnaise.
All my store cupboard stuff has turned my baked bean juice
into something that doesn't look like baked bean juice any more.
And, you know what?
It doesn't taste like baked bean juice either.
Oh, they smell amazing!
Look, like, crispy on the outside,
but lovely and soft in the middle.
We all need our go-to fail-safe recipes and this is one of those.
It's the kind of thing I'll make in double, triple quantities -
stick them in the fridge, stick them in the freezer
and then there, I've got them, as soon as I want them.
My sweet and spicy falafel turn an everyday ingredient
into something extraordinary in no time at all.
What started off life as a can of baked beans has now become
delicious, crisp, soft falafels in a burger!
Full of flavour, with all that coriander and cumin.
Crispy on the outside and lovely and soft and not dry in the middle.
I will give a fiver to anyone who works out
that there's baked beans in there!
Those are good falafels.