Falafel

March 23, 2024

Falafel

Falafel is a crunchy protein snack from the middle east, similar to the Indian pakoda. It can be served as is accompanied with tahini sauce or sny sauce of your choice, or assembled it into a sandwich or wrap. To keep the green colour prominent you may also use a bunch of spring onions. If you want to Indianize them then you may add some green chilies/ chili flakes and fennel seeds.

Ingredients :

Chickpeas : 250 gm or (1 & 1/4 cup)

Coriander seeds : 1 tblsp

Onion : 2 medium size

Chopped parsley or coriander leaves : 1 cup

Garlic (Indian) : 6 cloves

Black pepper :

Cumin seeds : 1 tsp

Fennel seeds : 1 tblsp (optional)

Baking soda : 1/4 tsp

Salt : to taste

Lime : 1/2

Sesame seeds : 2 - 3 tblsp

Green chili : 1 - 2 (optional) Or

Chili flakes : 2 tsp

Oil : for deep frying

Serving : 20 - 22 pieces

Procedure :

Soak the chickpeas for 7 - 8 hours. Then wash the chick peas and drain out all the water. Add cumin seeds, fennel seeds, baking soda, salt chopped chopped garlic, lime juice and mix well.

Add in chopped onions / spring onions, chopped coriander and mix it well. Then grinding it in a food processor, if you don't have one, you could always use the spice grinding jar of a mixer. Do not use any water, the moisture from onions and coriander is sufficient.

If you are using a spice grinding mixer jar, fill it half and give short blitz. Then open the jar and mix it up and blitz again until everything is well incorporated and coarsely ground.

Add coriander seeds into the mixer jar and make a course powder or you could do this using a mortar and pestle. Then add it into the ground chickpeas.

Check for salt at this point, then add sesame seeds, some chopped coriander (optional) and chopped green chili (optional).

Take about 1 tblsp of the mixture into your hand and shape it into a discoid using your fingers and the spoon. Then make a whole in the centre using the spoon handle. Or you can use the Falafel maker.

Heat oil in a frying pan and fry them over low heat on both sides until golden brown.

After frying, put them on a kitchen towel.

Serve them as is or you can also assemble it into a sandwich using pita bread or other breads or chapati along with some fresh vegetables like onions, tomatoes, lettuce and pickled vegetables like cucumbers and carrots. Add some tahini sauce or mustard sauce or garlic sauce (toum) or mayonnaise.