“I was a vegetarian for 19 years,” says Aaron Chambers, Executive Chef at Boulud Sud located across from NYC’s Lincoln Center. Of course, things have changed now that he heads the kitchen at Daniel Boulud’s Mediterranean-influenced restaurant, but as a throwback to Chef’s veggie days, we peeked in to see how he makes their incredibly crisp and flavor-packed herbed falafel.

Serve the crunchy chickpea bites with a spicy harissa yogurt — 2 tablespoons harissa paste stirred into plain Greek yogurt seasoned with salt.

Here’s what you’ll need for 40 (make 40, they keep nicely in the fridge or freezer):

• 1⅓ cups chickpeas, soaked in water overnight
• ½ cup bulgur wheat, soaked in water overnight
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ⅓ cup diced red onion
• 1 tablespoon garlic
• ⅓ cup chopped parsley
• ¼ cup chopped mint
• ¼ cup chopped cilantro
• 1 tablespoon white sesame seeds
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon cumin
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 teaspoon harissa paste
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• vegetable oil, for frying
• Chopped fresh herbs to garnish

All photos by Gabi Porter.