Here, a generous selection of warm spices mingles with gluten-free teff grain to create small, but mighty flavorful, nuggets. I love eating these finger food style–dipped in the dressing. They’re also fantastic in pita bread with shredded lettuce, tomato, cucumber slices and a drizzle of the dressing on top.
YIELD: 30 teffballs, ¾ cup (180 ml) dressing
FOR THE TEFFBALLS
1 cup (200 g) dry teff grain
2¼ cups (530 ml) water
1 jalapeño pepper, trimmed, cored and seeded if desired
1 cup (16 g) fresh cilantro leaves (not packed)
Scant ½ cup (45 g) chopped scallions
4 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup (64 g) roasted tahini paste
Juice from 1 large lemon (about 3 tbsp [45 ml])
2 tsp (10 ml) roasted pistachio, sesame or other oil
1 tsp (2 g) ground sumac
½ tsp fine sea salt
½ tsp ground turmeric
½ tsp ground coriander
½ tsp ground cumin
½ tsp Ras el Hanout or store-bought
½ tsp smoked paprika
⅓ cup (50 g) minced bell pepper (optional)
¼ cup (30 g) garbanzo bean flour
2 tbsp (30 ml) water
Nonstick cooking spray
FOR THE DRESSING
3 tbsp (48 g) tahini paste
⅓ cup (80 ml) water
2 tbsp (30 ml) lemon juice
4 tsp (20 ml) coconut cream
Pinch kosher salt
Pinch red pepper flakes
1 clove garlic, grated
To make the teffballs, combine the teff and the water in a rice cooker. Cook covered until the water is absorbed. Let stand 10 minutes, then remove the lid and let cool slightly.
In a food processor, process the jalapeño, cilantro, scallions, garlic, tahini and lemon juice until finely chopped. Stop to scrape the sides with a rubber spatula once during the process. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Add the oil, sumac, salt, turmeric, coriander, cumin, ras el hanout and paprika. Stir to combine. Add the teff and stir to combine again. Cover and let cool to room temperature. Add the bell pepper (if using), flour and water, stirring to thoroughly combine, using one clean hand if needed. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
In the meantime, make the dressing using a blender to thoroughly combine the tahini, water, lemon juice, coconut cream, salt, pepper flakes and garlic. Add extra water if needed, as the thickness of the tahini paste will vary. Cover and let stand at room temperature or in the refrigerator while baking the teffballs.
Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C, or gas mark 5). You should get 30 teffballs in all, but the yield may vary. Lightly coat mini muffin tins accordingly with cooking spray. Grab 1 packed, heaping tablespoon (30 g) of mixture, roll it into a ball between the palms of your hands and place in the prepared tins.
Lightly coat the top of the bites with cooking spray before baking for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and flip the teffballs. If you find they are a little fragile at this stage, let them stand 5 to 10 minutes before flipping the rest. Bake for another 10 to 15 minutes until firm. Let stand 10 minutes before serving with the dressing.