- So what is the history of this tasty little fritter? “The first known appearance of legume fritters (aka falafel) in the Middle East appears to be in Egypt, where they were made from dried white fava beans (ful nabet) and called tamiya/ta-amia (from the Arabic for ‘nourishment’); these fritters were a light green color inside. Many attribute tamiya to the Copts of Egypt, who practiced one of the earliest forms of Christianity. They believed that the original state of humankind was vegetarian and, therefore, mandated numerous days of eating only vegan food, including tamiya.”
- Copts fasten (become vegan) almost half the year, this is why they invented & developed so many delicious & nutritious vegan dishes such as Falafel/Tamiya. It’s a delicious form of vegan fast food that is much lighter and better for your heart than burgers and fries. These fried vegetarian fritters are traditionally served along with hummus and tahini.
- When falafel is made the traditional way, is indeed a vegan food; it’s a great source of protein for people who have cut meat out of their diet. It’s relatively low in fat and has no cholesterol if you fry it in heart-healthy grapeseed oil. And if you top it with veggies in a pita, it becomes a filling and nourishing meal! Sure beats a Big Mac, if you ask me.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 pound (about 2 cups) dry chickpeas
- 4 small onion, roughly chopped
- 1/2 chopped leek or few spring onions
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh coriander
- 12 cloves garlic
- 2 slices of white bread
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper or chilli powder
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- Pinch of ground cardamom
- Vegetable oil for frying (grapeseed, canola, and peanut oil work well)
YOU WILL ALSO NEED
- Food processor, skillet & non-stick skillet
Servings: 40-50 falafels
Method:
1. Pour the chickpeas into a large bowl and cover them by about 3 inches of cold water. Let them soak overnight or even better for 24 hours and change the water few times for your falafel to turn out right;. They will double in size as they soak – you will have between 4 and 5 cups of beans after soaking. Canned beans are too tender and contain too much moisture to achieve the right consistency. Don’t cook the beans, because this will result in a mushier and denser falafel, which is not the proper texture.2. Drain and rinse the chickpeas well. Pour them into your food processor along with the rest of the ingredients.
3. Pulse all ingredients together until a rough, coarse meal forms. Scrape the sides of the processor periodically and push the mixture down the sides. Process till the mixture is somewhere between the texture of couscous and a paste. You want the mixture to hold together, and a more paste-like consistency will help with that ... but don't over process, you don't want it turning into hummus!
4. Once the mixture reaches the desired consistency, pour it out into a bowl and use a fork to stir; this will make the texture more even throughout. Remove any large chickpea chunks that the processor missed.
5. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1-2 hours.
6. Note: Some people like to add baking soda to the mix to lighten up the texture inside of the falafel balls. I don’t usually add it, since the falafel is generally pretty fluffy on its own. If you would like to add it, dissolve 2 tsp of baking soda in 1 tbsp of water and mix it into the falafel mixture after it has been refrigerated.
7. Fill a skillet with vegetable oil to a depth of 1 ½ inches. I prefer to use cooking oil with a high smoke point, like grapeseed. Heat the oil slowly over medium heat. Meanwhile, form falafel mixture into round balls or slider-shaped patties using wet hands or a falafel scoop. I usually use about 2 tbsp of mixture per falafel. You can make them smaller or larger depending on your personal preference. The balls will stick together loosely at first, but will bind nicely once they begin to fry
8. Note: if the balls won't hold together, place the mixture back in the processor again and continue processing to make it more paste-like. Keep in mind that the balls will be delicate at first; if you can get them into the hot oil, they will bind together and stick. If they still won't hold together, you can try adding 2-3 tbsp of flour to the mixture. If they still won't hold, add 1-2 eggs to the mix. This should fix any issues you are having.
9. Before frying my first batch of falafel, I like to fry a test one in the centre of the pan. If the oil is at the right temperature, it will take 2-3 minutes per side to brown (5-6 minutes total). If it browns faster than that, your oil is too hot and your falafels will not be fully cooked in the centre. Cool the oil down slightly and try again. When the oil is at the right temperature, fry the falafels in batches of 5-6 at a time till golden brown on both sides.
10. Once the falafels are fried, remove them from the oil using a slotted spoon. Let them drain on paper towels. Serve the falafels fresh and hot; they go best with a plate of hummus and topped with creamy tahini sauce. You can also stuff them into a pita with salads & pickles.
O- Troubleshooting:
- If your falafel is too hard/too crunchy on the outside, there are two possible reasons-- 1) you didn't process the mixture enough-- return the chickpea mixture to the processor to make it more paste-like.
- 2) the chickpeas you used were old. Try buying a fresher batch of dried chickpeas next time.
