prep time:

8 hours

cook time

30 mins

total time

8 hours 30 mins

falafel recipe – middle eastern snack of fried chickpea balls or patties.

author: dassana

recipe type: snacks

cuisine: world, middle eastern

serves: 2-3

ingredients: (measuring cup used, 1 cup = 250 ml)

• 1 cup dried white chickpeas/kabuli chana/safed chana or 200 grams
• 1 small onion, chopped or ¼ cup chopped onions
• 1 tsp chopped garlic/lahsun
• 3 tbsp chopped coriander leaves or 3 tbsp chopped parsley or 2 tbsp chopped mint leaves
• ½ tsp red chili powder/lal mirch powder
• 1 tsp coriander powder/dhania powder
• 1 tsp cumin powder/jeera powder
• ¼ tsp black pepper or ½ tsp crushed black pepper or pepper powder
• 1 tbsp all purpose flour/maida or add as required
• salt as required
• oil for deep frying

how to make the recipe:

soaking:

1. rinse 1 cup chickpeas for a couple of times in water. then soak the chickpeas in enough water overnight or for 8 to 9 hours. drain them well. rinse them in running water. drain very well again.

grinding:

1. then add them in a grinder jar or a food processor or in a blender jar.
2. add the spices, seasonings and herbs – ¼ cup chopped onion, 1 tsp chopped garlic, 3 tbsp chopped coriander leaves or parsley, ½ tsp red chili powder, 1 tsp coriander powder, 1 tsp cumin powder, ¼ tsp black pepper and 1 tbsp all purpose flour.
3. also add ½ tsp lemon juice and salt as per taste.
4. grind the mixture in small intervals of time. scrape the sides of the mixture and add back in the jar.
5. you should get a semi coarse mixture. don’t make it too pasty and smooth. avoid adding water while grinding. if you are unable to grind without water, then you can add 1 to 3 tbsp of water.
6. take the falafel mixture in a bowl. check the taste and add more salt or spices if required. with a spoon or your hands mix everything well.
7. if the mixture is too coarse, you won’t be able to shape them into balls. the consistency should be semi coarse, so that you are able to shape them in balls or patties. you can even refrigerate the mixture for some hours or a couple of days.

frying:

1. first lets test the falafel. heat oil for deep frying in a pan or kadai. roll a small ball or patty from the mixture and place it in the oil.
2. if the falafel does not break, then you are good to go with the frying. if it breaks then add ½ to 1 tbsp more of the all purpose flour (maida).
3. the oil temperature is also crucial, as if the oil is not hot enough, the falafels can break. when you place the falafel in the oil, it should come up gradually to the top. if it does not come to the top or sticks to the pan, the oil is not hot enough. if it comes too quickly and starts browning fast, the oil is very hot.
4. make medium sized balls from the mixture and place them in medium hot oil. add the number of balls depending on the size and capacity of the kadai or pan. do not crowd the pan.
5. when the bases gets light golden, gently turn over and fry the other side.
6. fry them till they become crisp and are golden.
7. drain on kitchen paper towels.
8. this way make falafel with the rest of the mixture.
9. serve falafels as a side snack with a tahini dip or hummus. these also taste good with coriander chutney and even tomato ketchup. you can also stuff them in pita breads. i served them with muhammara (roasted red bell pepper dip).