- 1 pound dried chickpeas, reserve one cup
- 1 large onion, roughly chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley
- 1/4 fresh cilantro
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons aluminum free baking powder
- 6 to 7 tablespoons unbleacehd all-purpose flour
- Vegetable oil for frying
The fabulous falafel. We love, love, love falafel! The marriage of flavorful chick peas, herbs and spices create one of our family’s favorite Middle Eastern recipes. As you bite into these little disks of delight you will experience the sound and taste of the crunch on the outside and then the somewhat tender texture found inside. It just makes my mouth water. Come to think of it, there are a few left in the frig …and my roasted red pepper hummus is in there, too. I feel like a break right now. I’ll be back… Several minutes later…yum…so if you have not made falafel or enjoyed it before this is a must make recipe. I implore you! I beg of you! Make this recipe!
Some recipes call for cans of garbanzo or chick peas. Nope. I would not suggest that. Others call for the dried beans to soak overnight. Nope. No need. Here’s what I did. It was super easy!
Okay, so all you have to do is place 1 pound of dried beans in a pot of water. Rinse well and then cover. Bring to a boil… and then..turn off the heat right away. Keep the beans covered and let them have a nice water bath for at least four hours. I typically do this in the morning or mid afternoon. Here’s why I don’t like to soak my chick peas overnight. I like them to be a little swollen, but not plump. I feel it makes for a much better consistency. It gives the falafel just the bite is calling for. It’s that texture and that consistency that makes you go back to good Middle Eastern restaurants time and time again!
Now prep your other ingredients. (I reserve the other cup of chickpeas) or so for a snack! Add 1 cup of the chick peas and half of the other ingredients minus the flour and baking powder. Add last cup and other half of ingredients. You must do this in two batches because your blender won’t be able to process this large amount. Place everything in the food processor and pulse away. You are looking for a coarse consistency.
In a bowl combine both batches. Add flour and baking powder and mix just until combined. Take about two tablespoons or so of mixture into your hands adn roll into a ball. Press into a disk that looks like this:
Aren’t these just beautiful? They taste even better!
Now fill a small frying pan with just a little bit of oil. It should be about one-inch deep. Make sure the oil is hot enough, but not so hot that it will burn your falafel and not cook the inside enough.
This is what it looks like inside
All that’s left to do is place these beauties on your favorite platter surrounded by your best hummus recipe and pita chips.
You can also make a delicious wrap by serving inside pita bread with hummus, lettuce and automates!
From our hearts to yours,
Elise and family