Falafel

I’m sure we all would have tasted Falafel or at least heard of it. This is so simple to make at home and you would most likely find almost all the ingredients at home. So, let’s get started.

Preparation time: 20 mins Cooking time: 15 mins Serves: 4

All you need:

1 cup of chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
3 – 4 gloves of garlic
Parsley
Coriander
1 green chili
1 small onion
2 tbsp. of all-purpose flour
1 tsp of Cumin powder
1 tsp of Coriander seeds – Crushed
¾ tsp Baking Soda
Salt
Pepper
Oil for frying

A few Tips:

You could keep the mixture covered in the fridge for one day.
Don’t over heat the oil for frying.
While frying, stir the falafel balls 2-3 times so that they fry evenly.
Do not add all the falafel balls at once. Fry them in batches as this will help to fry them evenly.

Method:

In a large bowl, put in the chickpeas. Add enough water to cover them and allow them to soak overnight. The next day, the chickpeas will seem to be large and swollen.
Next, chop garlic, parsley, coriander, green chili and onion.
Drain the water and add the chickpeas in a blender. Blend them until you obtain a bread crumb like mixture. Transfer into a bowl.
Now, put the other ingredients – garlic, parsley, green chili and onion into the blender and blend until well combined. Add it to the bowl add combine well with the chickpeas mixture.
Add flour, cumin powder, crushed coriander seeds, baking soda, salt and pepper. Mix well.
If you feel that the mixture is too dry, you can add a few drops of water. But be careful, do not add too much of water.
Now make small balls from the mixture.
Add oil in a frying pan and heat it on medium flame.
Once the oil is hot, add the falafel balls and fry them until they are golden brown in color.
Remove them from the oil and place them on a tissue paper to soak the excess oil.
Serve with Hummus or Tzatiki sauce or Baba Ghanoush. (Click on the name to find the recipe).