New
New
Year 9

Making pea and mint falafel, with tzatziki

I can use food skills to make pea and mint falafel, and tzatziki.

New
New
Year 9

Making pea and mint falafel, with tzatziki

I can use food skills to make pea and mint falafel, and tzatziki.

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These resources were created for remote use during the pandemic and are not designed for classroom teaching.

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. The origins of falafel can be traced back to Egypt. They feature in Middle Eastern cuisine and are based on chickpeas.
  2. Recipes and cooking methods can be modified to help meet current healthy eating messages.
  3. The food skills used to make falafel include measuring, draining, using a food processor and grill, and dividing.
  4. Any food allergy or intolerances must be considered, with recipes and ingredients being adjusted accordingly.
  5. Food processors can chop, slice and grate large quantities of food quickly. Care must be taken as the blades are sharp.

Keywords

  • Middle Eastern - relating to or characteristic of the Middle East - the area from the eastern Mediterranean to Iran

  • Falafel - a Middle Eastern dish of spiced mashed chickpeas or other pulses formed into balls

  • Chickpeas - a round yellowish edible seed, widely used as a pulse

  • Food processor - an electric kitchen appliance for grating, chopping, mixing or blending foods

  • Tzatziki - a Greek side dish, made with yogurt, cucumber, garlic and mint

Common misconception

Traditional fried falafel is healthy, as it is made from chickpeas.

While the chickpeas are a healthy choice, falafel is usually deep-fried, so less healthy. Alternative cooking methods could be used which use less oil, such as grilling, baking, or air-frying.


To help you plan your year 9 cooking and nutrition lesson on: Making pea and mint falafel, with tzatziki, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Pupils will probably need to share the use of a food processor. Ensure pupils do not rush using the food processor, or adding/removing their falafel mixtures; the blades are extremely sharp. Pupils could also use a masher or the end of a rolling pin to crush the chickpeas in a bowl.
Teacher tip

Equipment

For ingredients and equipment, see the recipe in additional materials.

Content guidance

  • Risk assessment required - may contain allergens
  • Risk assessment required - equipment

Supervision

Adult supervision required

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Prior knowledge starter quiz

Download quiz pdf

6 Questions

Q1.
What is this piece of equipment called?

An image in a quiz
wok
tandoor oven
Correct answer: bamboo steamer
tortilla press
cheese mould

Q2.
Name the 4Cs.

Correct answer: cleaning and cooking
cooling and casseroling
contaminating and crossing
Correct answer: chilling and cross-contamination
controlling and catering

Q3.
What food skill used in the 'cake creaming method' is being demonstrated here?

An image in a quiz
stirring
mixing
Correct answer: folding
flapping
blending

Q4.
What are the key health messages from this Eatwell Guide food group?

An image in a quiz
have wholegrain versions
Correct answer: have some, around two - three a day
Correct answer: have calcium fortified alternatives
have plenty, at least five a day
have less often and in small amounts

Q5.
Match the following foods to their production and processing:

Correct Answer:cheese,milking, pasteurising, curdling, pressing

milking, pasteurising, curdling, pressing

Correct Answer:bread,harvesting, milling, mixing, baking

harvesting, milling, mixing, baking

Correct Answer:apple juice,harvesting, crushing

harvesting, crushing

Correct Answer:fish fingers,catching, filleting, freezing, coating

catching, filleting, freezing, coating

Correct Answer:pasta,harvesting, milling, mixing, extruding

harvesting, milling, mixing, extruding

Q6.
One common health condition caused by poor diet (dietary excess) is overweight and .

Correct Answer: obesity
Q4 © Crown copyright 2016, Public Health England in association with the Welsh Government, Food Standards Scotland and the Food Standards Agency in Northern Ireland

Assessment exit quiz

Download quiz pdf

6 Questions

Q1.
True or false? Traditional fried falafel is healthy, as it is made from chickpeas.

True
Correct answer: False

Q2.
Falafel traditionally features in which type of cuisine?

British
Correct answer: Middle Eastern
American
Mexican
Thai

Q3.
Match the health message to ingredient or cooking method change:

Correct Answer:5 A DAY,add more vegetables

add more vegetables

Correct Answer:increase fibre,have more beans or pulses

have more beans or pulses

Correct Answer:reduce fat,grill, don't fry

grill, don't fry

Correct Answer:reduce salt,do not add during cooking

do not add during cooking

Correct Answer:base meals on starchy carbohydrates,serve with potatoes, bread, pasta or rice

serve with potatoes, bread, pasta or rice

Q4.
Care must be taken placing and removing the blades from the as they are sharp.

Correct Answer: food processor, foodprocessor

Q5.
Which of these are on the 14 common allergens list?

Correct answer: lupin and celery
beef mince and cucumber
Correct answer: mustard and milk
vinegar and oats
Correct answer: eggs and fish

Q6.
Put the following falafel recipe into the correct order:

1 - Prepare the falafel ingredients.
2 - Blitz in a food processor to a coarse paste.
3 - Divide the mixture into eight.
4 - Grill for 20 minutes.
5 - Prepare the tzatziki ingredients.
6 - Serve the falafel and tzatziki together.

Additional material

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