For so many years I really disliked eating falafel purely because I found them far too dry and really difficult to eat.
It was at a Middle Eastern Restaurant a few years ago that I finally ate incredible house-made falafel and that was it. The love story began
What is Falafel
Said to have originated in Egypt, with influences from Indian cuisine, Falafel is a wonderfully Middle Eastern deep fried ball made from fava bean or chickpeas. The original falafel is said to have been made only with Fava beans, and as falafel become common through other regions in the Middle East, chickpeas were introduced.
Can I use canned chickpeas? How do I prevent my falafel from getting dry?
This is a really key problem. The dryness of a falafel is usually caused by 3 reasons. Firstly, the falafel are not fresh, secondly you have used canned chickpeas and thirdly you haven’t rested the falafel mixture.
Let’s talk about the first problem. Making falafel three days before serving, or freezing the falafel simply leaves the mixture dry, grainy and more or less inedible. Always make them fresh!
The second reason is the use of canned chickpeas. Canned chickpeas are actually cooked beforehand, which means the natural starch is cooked and as a result there is no binding agent left to properly combine the mixture and retain moisture. Similarly, you shouldn’t use boiled chickpeas for this recipe – the outcome will be the same and the falafel will be dry.
You absolutely must use dried chickpeas. The trick is to soak them for at least 8 hours or overnight with some baking soda and then drain the chickpeas really well. This is super critical!
Finally, you need to let your falafel mixture rest for a few hours or even overnight. This will help the starchy bonds to form and the mixture to thicken well making it easier to shape into balls for frying.
So how do I make the BEST falafel?
Like I said, start by soaking the dried chickpeas for 8 hours or overnight with some baking soda. Once soaked, drain out the water and discard any skins. This is again important to give you a lovely smooth mixture that will retain moisture well. The skins simply hinder the binding and add a texture that is a bit unsavoury.
The next step is to combine the chickpeas with some garlic, onion, coriander leaves, parsley, dried mint, ground cumin, ground coriander, a little bit more of the baking soda, and of course some seasoning with salt and pepper. Pulse the ingredients in a food processor until the mixture is smooth and well combined.
Now it is time to spread the mixture onto a plate and press it firmly down sing the back of a spoon or a butter knife. Cover the plate with clingfilm and set in the fridge to rest for at least 2 hours, or overnight.
After resting, you can get ready to make the balls. If you have a falafel scoop or mold, use this to make 18-20 falafel balls using this recipe. You could also use a tablespoon to make the balls as well to shape these into oval or circle shapes. Set these aside while you prepare the oil.
In a saucepan, heat up vegetable oil with at least 4 cm’s of oil in the pot. Heat to oil to 180 degrees Celsius or 150 degrees Fahrenheit, or test the oil with a small piece of the falafel mixture. If the oil bubbles and the piece floats to the surface, the oil is hot enough to fry the falafel. Fry the falafel for 1-2 minutes or until beautifully browned, then use a slotted spoon to remove and set the fried falafels onto paper towels to drain.
The BEST Falafel
Ingredients
- 200 g Dried Chickpeas Don't use the canned ones
- 50 g frozen peas
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 small onion
- 1 tbsp coriander leaves
- 1 tbsp fresh parsley
- 1 tsp dried mint leaves
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- salt and pepper
- Vegetable Oil for Frying
- 1 Fresh kale or spinach leaf
Instructions
- Soak the chickpeas overnight with 1/2 tsp of baking soda. After soaking, drain the chickpeas really well and remove the skins
- Combine drained chickpeas with the garlic, onion, coriander leaves, parsley leaves, dried mint, ground cumin, ground corianer, the peas, and spinach or kale (is you are using them!) and salt and pepper to taste. I used about 1/2 tsp of each. Also add the remaining 1/2 tsp of baking soda and then pulse all the ingredients in a food processor until smooth and well combined
- Spread the mixture onto a plate using a spoon or butter knife and cover with clingfilm. Set this to rest in the fridge for at least 2 hours or overnight
- After resting, shape the falafel either using a tablespoon or a falafel scoop and set the balls aside while preparing the oil
- Heat the vegetable ol in a saucepan. Make sure there is at least 4 cm of oil in the pan and heat to 180 degrees celcius (350 degrees farenheit). You can test this with a small piece of falafel – if the oil bubbles and the falafel piece floats to the top the oil is ready
- Fry the falafels, roughly 4 or 5 at a time until browned. Make sure you don't crowd the pan! Once the falafels are fried, remove using a slotted spoon and let them drain on paper towel
- Serve the falafels hot with some garlic tahini, or labne
I hope you enjoy my falafel recipe as much as I do – my recipe took some time to develop and it’s one I absolutely love. This is a bit of a guilty pleasure at home and we love making big falafel bowls for lunch. Pair these with a fresh slaw and pickled vegetables to make a great wrap for lunch!
Be sure to share your photos with me @theminiaturelife on Instagram (and make sure you DM me the photos otherwise I won’t be able to see it!). Leave a comment below if you enjoyed these.
Personally I love serving the falafel with some homemade Pita bread (stay tuned for the recipe!), some muhamarra (a delicious roasted capsicum dip) and some fresh labne with cabbage, and other slaw. So delicious, fresh and super hearty.
