Falafel, because you need some of this lovin.
Falafel started life in Egypt, around the time of the pharaohs (apparently). But enough of the boring stuff. Now found as a staple throughout the Middle East and India, falafel are a staple in many households and street vendors. My mom has a pretty good recipe, but she hasn't chosen to share it yet. I took some advice from some of my chef friends and worked together this recipe for the nights that I really just wanted some happy-food. Let me know what you think! If you need to tweak anything to make it work for you, do it!
What ya need:
Soak the dried chickpeas overnight in plenty of water. Drain the water. If you're using canned, skip this step. Grab a food processor and put the onions, garlic, parsley and cilantro in it. Chop that stuff until it's finely chopped and the ingredients are well-incorporated. Then throw in the chickpeas and throw it on high for a handful of pulses until everything is well mixed and the texture is slightly thicker than hummus. Transfer this to bowl, and add the spices, flour, and baking powder. Mix all of this until you have a thick, somewhat doughy mixture. It doesn't need to be firm, so don't worry if it isn't. Put some plastic wrap over the bowl and put it in the refrigerator for two hours. This step is critical. The falafel "mix" needs to set up and marry properly. After the two hours pass, get your oil ready for frying. A large pan or wok is ideal, but if you have a deep fryer, go with that. The oil needs to be fairly hot, in the 350ºF range. Get the falafel "mix" out of the fridge. Grab a plate with some paper towels for he falafels to drain after they finish cooking. To make the falafel balls, you can use a couple of spoons or an ice cream scoop. Slip the balls into the oil and let them brown on every side. It takes about 2 minutes per side. When you scoop the falafels out of the oil, set them on the prepared plate. As for when to eat them, it's up to you! Some people like to eat falafel hot, others cooled. So play with it and find you're favorite temp. Enjoy!
What ya need:
- 1 cup of dried chickpeas (15oz can of chickpeas are ok in a pinch)
- 5 medium cloves of garlic
- 1/2 cup of fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1/2 cup of fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 small onion
- 6 tablespoons of flour
- 1 teaspoon of baking powder
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 2 teaspoons of cumin
- 1 teaspoon of coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon of ground red pepper (cayenne works too)
- 1-2 cups of frying oil, for frying (I like a vegetable blend for this, but some people like peanut)
Soak the dried chickpeas overnight in plenty of water. Drain the water. If you're using canned, skip this step. Grab a food processor and put the onions, garlic, parsley and cilantro in it. Chop that stuff until it's finely chopped and the ingredients are well-incorporated. Then throw in the chickpeas and throw it on high for a handful of pulses until everything is well mixed and the texture is slightly thicker than hummus. Transfer this to bowl, and add the spices, flour, and baking powder. Mix all of this until you have a thick, somewhat doughy mixture. It doesn't need to be firm, so don't worry if it isn't. Put some plastic wrap over the bowl and put it in the refrigerator for two hours. This step is critical. The falafel "mix" needs to set up and marry properly. After the two hours pass, get your oil ready for frying. A large pan or wok is ideal, but if you have a deep fryer, go with that. The oil needs to be fairly hot, in the 350ºF range. Get the falafel "mix" out of the fridge. Grab a plate with some paper towels for he falafels to drain after they finish cooking. To make the falafel balls, you can use a couple of spoons or an ice cream scoop. Slip the balls into the oil and let them brown on every side. It takes about 2 minutes per side. When you scoop the falafels out of the oil, set them on the prepared plate. As for when to eat them, it's up to you! Some people like to eat falafel hot, others cooled. So play with it and find you're favorite temp. Enjoy!
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