Falafel
Total Time
30 minutes plus an overnight and 30 minute rest
Rating
0 out of 5 stars
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Ingredients
4-6 servings; 19 falafel fritters
- 1/2 pound (1 1/4 cups or 225 grams) dried chickpeas
- 1/2 a large onion, roughly chopped or 1 cup chopped scallions
- 2 to 4 garlic cloves, peeled (I use 4 but adjust to your tastes)
- 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley, if you’re measuring, or a big handful
- 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro, if you’re measuring, or a big handful
- 1 teaspoons fine sea salt or 2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 1/2 to 1 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes or mild ones such as urfa biber or Aleppo
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- Peanut or vegetable oil for frying
- To serve: Pitas, tahini sauce, tomato-cucumber salad, harissa or another hot sauce, and any pickled vegetables you wish, such as cucumbers, red onion, or mango
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Preparation
Step 1
The night before: Place chickpeas in a large bowl and add enough water to cover them by a few inches. Add 1 tablespoon of kosher salt per pound of chickpeas. Let the chickpeas soak overnight.
Step 2
An hour or so before you’d like to eat falafel: Drain the chickpeas well. In the bowl of a food processor, place the onion, garlic, and herbs and pulse until coarsely chopped. Add the drained chickpeas, salt, and spices and process until blended to a fine chop but not pureed. The texture should be like cooked couscous.
Step 3
Transfer chickpea mixture to a bowl, cover with plastic, and place in refrigerator for a few hours, if you have it, but even 30 minutes is helpful.
Step 4
To shape the falafel: Form the chickpea mixture into walnut-sized balls. Use a falafel scoop, tablespoon measuring spoon, or cookie scoop. Press it into the scoop tightly to compress the ingredients, then gently roll it in the palm of your hands to form a ball.
Step 5
To cook the falafel: Heat 3/4 to 1-inch of oil in a frying pan to 375°F. Fry about 6 falafel fritters at a time, turning them over once they’re a nice toasty brown. This takes about 3 minutes per batch. Drain on paper towels.
Step 6
To serve: Split open a pita and start with a little tahini sauce and a spoonful of salad at the bottom before adding 3 to 4 falafel fritters. Finish with more tomato-cucumber salad, tahini sauce, a hot sauce, and pickles.
Step 7
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Chef's notes
To make tahini sauce:
Mix 1/2 cup well-stirred tahini, 1 clove garlic (minced), juice of half a lemon, salt, and water as needed to thin the sauce.
Some falafel recipes contain flour or baking powder, but I preferred the purist route, with neither. If adding flour, add 1 tablespoon at a time until you get the desired texture, not exceeding 4 tablespoons. For baking powder, use 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons for the whole recipe.
