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Falafel
70 falafel patties

[ INGREDIENTS ]

Chickpeas
Fava Beans
Garlic
Onion
Parsley
Cilantro
Red Bell Pepper
Salt
Black Pepper
Lemon
Ground Cumin
Ground Coriander
Allspice
Baking Soda
Olive Oil

10 MINUTES BEFORE COOKING ADD

Baking Powder
Baking Soda

TAHINI SAUCE

Plain Yogurt
Tahini
Lemon
Salt
Garlic
Parsley

[ INSTRUCTIONS ]

FALAFEL MIX

1. Soak :
   
   2 Pound Soaked Chickpeas;
   1 Cup Soaked Peeled Fava Beans;
   in water in separate containers overnight. ¹
2. The following day drain the chickpeas, and the fava beans, rinse them with fresh water. ²
3. Place the soaked chickpeas and the soaked fava beans with :
   
   5 Cloves of Garlic;
   1 Medium Onion;
   1 Cup Parsley Leaves, Without the Stems, Washed;
   1 Cup Cilantro Leaves, Without the Stems, Washed;
   1 Large Red Bell Pepper;
   1 1/2 Teaspoons Salt;
   3/4 Teaspoon Black Pepper;
   1 Lemon, Zest and Juice;
   1 1/2 Teaspoons Ground Cumin;
   1 1/2 Teaspoons Ground Coriander;
   1 Teaspoon Allspice;
   1 Teaspoon Baking Soda;
   in the food processor and run it until they turn into a paste. ³
4. This will take time ( 10 - 15 minutes ), you need a very smooth paste and you may have to stop and scrape the sides more than once. ⁴
5. If you feel the mix is too dry you can add a little water, one tablespoon at a time. ⁶
6. At this point feel free to taste the Falafel mix to make sure it has a balanced flavor. ⁵
7. Check the notes for helpful tips. ⁷

FRYING THE FALAFEL

1. 10 minutes before frying, sprinkle :
   
   1/2 Teaspoon Baking Powder;
   1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda;
   on the Falafel mix, knead and let rest. ¹⁰
2. When ready, heat :
   
   1 Inch Deep of Olive Oil
   in the frying pan on medium heat ( you will know the oil is hot enough when you place a little Falafel dough in it and it sizzles and bubbles immediately ) ¹¹

SHAPING THE FALAFEL

1. Scoop the Falafel by using a specialized Falafel scoop, an ice cream scoop, or by using 2 spoons whereby you scoop the Falafel paste in one and press the other spoon against it to compact it into an oval shape. You can also use your hands to roll the falafel into balls. ⁸
2. Drop the falafel gently into the frying pan. no more than 4 - 5 because if you add too many the oil will cool down and the falafel will fall apart. ⁹
3. Fry for a few minutes until the falafel turns brownish (you may have to flip it to get both sides evenly browned)
4. Take the falafel out and place it on a paper towel or in a colander to get rid of excess oil.

TAHINI SAUCE

1. Mix :
   
   2 Table Spoons of Plain Yogurt;
   1 Tablespoon Tahini;
   1 Teaspoon Lemon Juice;
   A Dash of Salt;
   Garlic ( Optional );
   Chopped Parsley ( Optional );
   in the blender; if adding the garlic, or simply with a spoon if not, until they reach a homogeneous texture.
2. Taste to ensure a balance of flavors.
3. A good Falafel Tahini sauce should taste a bit tangy with a hint of garlic.
4. The sauce should end up looking cream / whitish.
5. Serve as a side / dip.

[ NOTE ]

¹ You can find fava beans in middle eastern stores. For Falafel buy the dried peeled ones, it will save you time because peeling them is a little time-consuming.

² If you can’t find fava beans, replace them with chickpeas.

³ You need to use dry chickpeas and favabeans, soak them, rinse them then use then in the recipe. Using canned chickpeas and fava beans will not achieve the texture you need nor the taste.

⁴ I measure the favabeans and chickpeas after soaking because different brands absorb water differently and end up with different weights after soaking

⁵ The amount of garlic, onions, herbs and spices is up to your taste. These are the amounts that result in a taste I like. Try it, then play around with flavors if you like

⁶ Make sure your falafel dough is as smooth as possible, scrape down the sides of the food processor repeatedly

⁷ To help get a smooth dough I usually process the chickpeas and fava beans first until they are almost smooth, take them out of the processor. Add the herbs, onion and garlic and process until smooth, then add the spices and gradually add the processed chickpeas and fava beans. Keep processing until you get a smooth homogenous mix. You can also process the chickpeas and fava beans alone and then process the herbs and onions and garlic alone and manually knead the two mixed together with the herbs.

⁸ To shape the falafel, traditionally a falafel mold or press is used like the one you see in the picture below. You can also use an ice cream scoop, two spoons or your hands

⁹ When you fry the falafel do it in a small pot, make sure your oil is hot and fry 4 or 5 at most at a time. If your oil is not hot enough or if you add too many patties and the oil cools down the falafel will fall apart.

¹⁰ The baking powder and soda transform the patties from dense and heavy to light and airy, make sure not to forget them.

¹¹ The timing of adding the baking soda and baking powder is important. Do it 10 minutes before frying only. If you add it before freezing they will lose their activity and become useless.,

::: View the original recipe for Falafel at chefindisguise.com