Falafel ?

I LOVE this falafel recipe, and it tastes about the same as the amazing falafel my coworker, Mariamma, used to make and bring to work. She told me her recipe one time over our quick, 30-minute lunch break at the hospital, but it went something like, “some chickpeas, some peppers, lots of spices, cilantro…”. So, I found a falafel recipe online, but tweaked it a bit to add the kick of spices and peppers Mariamma used. Now, I LOVE this falafel recipe, and it definitely satisfies my cravings, BUT…. Is it authentic? Or is it just a white, Texas girl trying to make a Mediterranean staple food? Idk. Ya’ll can let me know after you try this recipe. Enjoy!

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Falafel

Author: Michelle's Lane

Prep time: 20 MinCook time: 20 MinInactive time: 1 HourTotal time: 1 H & 40 M

Delicious, but probably not authentic. I’m waiting for comments from you guys!

Ingredients

Ingredients

• 2 cups DRY chickpeas (do not use canned. You’ve been warned)
• 1 medium onion
• 1-2 fresh jalapeño peppers (or any spicy pepper IF you want extra heat)
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 cup fresh cilantro leaves
• 1 cup fresh parsley or Italian parsley leaves
• 6-8 large garlic cloves
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tablespoon fine ground black pepper
• 1.5 tablespoons ground cumin
• 1.5 tablespoons ground coriander
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper (more or less according to your spice preference)
• 1 tsp baking powder (reserve until just before cooking)
• Cooking oil (I like avocado or olive oil for their health benefits)

Instructions

Preparation

1. Cover the chickpeas in at lest 2 inches of water & soak overnight. Use a large bowl to leave room for expansion.
2. Drain the chickpeas & allow any extra water to drip off while you prepare the other ingredients.
3. Add all the things to a blender or food processor EXCEPT the baking powder.
4. Blend everything together until you get a coarse, sandy texture.
5. Cover & refrigerate for at least 1 hour (you can refrigerate overnight as well if you want to make the mix ahead). If you don’t do this step, your falafel will fall apart when it cooks.
6. Remove from the refrigerator & mix in the baking powder right before cooking.
7. Heat about 2 inches of oil on medium-high in a pot or pan.
8. Form falafel mix into large golf ball size balls then slightly flatten out into fat patties. You can use an ice cream scoop or 1/8 cup measuring cup to get consistent sizes.
9. Carefully lower the formed falafel into the oil and cook until golden brown (about 3-4 minutes) then flip and cook the other side. Don’t crowd the falafel into the pan or they’ll stick together.
10. Remove from heat & and place on a cooling rack or heat-safe tray lined with paper towels to absorb the extra oil.
11. You can eat these right away or store them in the refrigerator or freezer. They reheat nicely. Just make sure they’re completely cool before you store them to maintain the crispy shell.
12. I serve these with salads or with tzatziki dipping sauce.

Notes

I’m Texas girl. I like the heat. If you like hot salsa, deathly hot wings, and “Thai spicy” level heat, go with 2 jalapeños & 2 tsp of cayenne. If you need mild, ditch the jalapeños & use 1/2 tsp cayenne.

If you want to make half spicy & half mild, split the mix in half and add peppers to half at the end. Then roll the spicy falafel in toasted sesame seeds to set them apart from the mild.

Nutritional info is for 1 cookie.

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