Falafel is an everyday Middle Eastern ‘fast food’. The fried balls are very tasty – crispy on the outside and moist and fluffy on the inside. Commonly made using ground chickpeas, herbs and spices, they are vegetarian and, once you make them at home, you will find them appearing on the menu again and again by popular demand.
Falafels taste great eaten warm with a little hummus or tahini sauce and flatbread as a starter or side. Or you can place them in a wrap with hummus and salad, such as tomato and lettuce or tabouli.
Fantastic falafels
Course: All Recipes, Entertaining, Healthy Snacks, Light Meals, Lunch Box, Party food, Sandwiches, rolls etc, Sides, VegetarianCuisine: Middle EasternDifficulty: Medium30
30
minutes30
minutesSoaking overnight, gluten-free, Vegetarian, Ingredient options
Falafels taste great eaten warm with a little hummus or tahini sauce and flatbread as a starter or side. Or you can place them in a wrap with hummus and salad, such as tomato and lettuce or tabouli.
Ingredients
450g dried chickpeas
1 small brown onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves
2 tbs plain flour or chickpea flour (to make gluten-free falafels)
2 tbs (30g) chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
2 tsp ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
Pinch ground cardamom
2 tsp baking soda
Grapeseed oil, to shallow fry
Flatbread, quartered, to serve
Hummus, to serve
Lettuce leaves, to serve
Tomato wedges, to serve
Method
- Place the chickpeas in a large bowl and pour in enough cold water to generously cover. Set aside overnight to soak. Drain and rinse well.
- Place the chickpeas in a food processor. Add the onion, garlic, flour, parsley, cumin, salt, ground coriander, pepper, cayenne and cardamom. Pulse until mixture is coarse. Scrape down sides. Process until mixture forms a coarse paste, moist enough to hold together when pressed (do not over process – mixture should not be too smooth).
- Transfer mixture to a large bowl. Use a fork to stir, discarding any large chickpea pieces that weren’t fully processed. Cover bowl and place in the fridge for 1-2 hours.
- Stir baking soda into 3 tsp water until dissolved. Stir into the chickpea mixture until well combined. Using wet hands, roll 2 tbs mixture into a ball (you can also flatten slightly into a disc, if you prefer). Repeat to make about 30 falafel.
- Fill a large frying pan will oil until about 3cm deep. Heat over a medium heat. Carefully place about 6 falafel into the pan. Cook, occasionally turning, for 5-6 mins or until cooked through and golden brown all over. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on a large plate lined with paper towel to drain. Repeat with remaining falafels.
- Serve warm falafels with flatbread, hummus, lettuce and tomato.
Tips and notes
- You might be tempted to use canned chickpeas, but these will likely cause the falafels to fall apart when frying.
- Grapeseed oil is good for frying as it has a high smoke point. But you can also use vegetable oil, canola, sunflower or peanut oil.
- You may have seen green falafels. These typically have more herbs. Add an extra ½ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, or coriander, or a mixture of the two to the food processor.
- For a really delicious hummus, try making our Hummus to hum about.
- Store falafels in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Serve at room temperature, or warm in the microwave before serving, if you like.
