Falafel, or fried chickepea patties, have been on my todo list for a while! Making the quioa tabouleh salad reminded of a photo that I had seen a long time ago where perfectly golden brown falafel were served on a bed of tabbouleh and I figured that it was the perfect time to try making falafel! As it turns out, making light, crispy and perfectly golden brown falafel at home is quite easy, though if you are starting with dried chickpeas you do need to let them soak over night so it takes some planning.
The recipe is pretty simple with a base of the chickpeas along with some onions, garlic, a whole bunch of fresh herbs and some seasonings. Once you have the ‘batter’ mixed up you form it into balls or patties and fry them until golden brown. It is pretty hard to not eat them all while you are waiting for the next batch to cook but it is good to show some restraint in this case because their are plenty of great ways of serving them! Of course I started out by serving some of them on a bed of the quioa tabouleh salad which made for a really nice light meal.
Next up was a pita sandwich.
There is no need to wait for a sandwich though if you just want to go straight to dipping the falafel right into the thic and creamy tahini and yogurt sauce.
Falafel
Golden brown balls of chickpeas that are light and crispy on the outside and warm, moist and tender on the inside.
ingredients
- 1 cup dried chickpeas/garbanzo beans, soaked in cold water overnight
- 1 small onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
- 1/4 cup parsley, chopped
- 1 teaspoon coriander seeds, toasted and ground
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds, toasted and ground
- 1 lemon, zest
- 2 tablespoons whole wheat flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- cayenne to taste
- salt and pepper to taste
directions
- Pulse the drained chickpeas, onion, garlic, cilantro, parsley, coriander, cumin and lemon zest until it forms a coarse meal.
- Sprinkle in the flour and baking soda and pulse a few times to combine, then test the mixture to make sure that it holds together adding more flour until it does.
- Refrigerate the mixture in a covered container for a few hours.
- Form the mixture into balls or patties.
- Heat oil in pan to 350F/180C, fry the balls in small batches until golden brown, about 4-6 minutes and set aside on paper towels to drain.
Falafel Pita Sandwich
A pita filled with crispy warm falafel, lettuce, tomato, cucumber, red onion, feta and a tasty tahini yogurt sauce.
ingredients
- 4 pitas
- 1/2 cup tahini yogurt sauce
- 1 cup tomato, diced
- 1 cup cucumber, diced
- 1 cup lettuce, shredded
- 1/4 cup red onion, thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup feta, crumbled (optional)
- 1 batch falafel, warm
directions
- Assemble sandwich and enjoy!
Tahini Yogurt Sauce
A fresh and tangy tahini and yogurt sauce that is just a little bit too addictive.
ingredients
- 1/4 cup Greek yogurt
- 1/4 cup tahini
- 1 small clove garlic, grated
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon parsley, chopped
- cayenne to taste
- salt and pepper to taste
directions
- Mix everything.
Wow, I saw this like 15 minutes after telling my girlfriend: "Hey, we've got some chickpeas left!"
Thanks so much, your site has been a great inspiration to me. Keep up the good work.
i just saw this being made today on the food network and had never heard of it, now i'm intrigued and need to try it! anne
Wow. These look so professional. My husband is part middle eastern. He loves falafels and would love these.
http://www.thegirlieblog.com
I love falafel and these look great!
Hi Kevin,
I love coming by to see what you've been cooking. I will have to try making those, I really love them with tzatziki which is basically greek yoghurt and grated, drained cucumber…. mmmmm. Looks good, it's going in my to do list!
Every time I check in with your blog I am entranced with the food! I litteraly just bought quinoa and had no idea what to do with it. I've always wanted to make my own falafel and now you've combined the best of both worlds…in other words: get outta my head! No wait – STAY IN MY HEAD!!! LOL
Really mouthwatering! That is such a great snack.
Cheers,
Rosa
Humm, delicious!
Have a nice day!
Stark Radio: Tzatziki is another great thing to serve falafel with!
Falafel are one of maybe TWO deep fried items that I'll eat..because they're so delicious! And really, they're made of chickpeas…SO not bad for you. Loving this!
Falafel is definitely one of my favourite foods of all time.
I know these are delicious since |I am a big falafel fan! and they look lovely too
This looks great, I especially like the herbs that u used…
Just the kind of recipe I've been looking for. Thanks!
FALAFEL is my all time favorite…2 questions..1) have you tried making these with canned chickpeas? 2) Did you deep fry these?
I made your Thai pineapple rice a few days ago…was delicious and a major hit with all my guests…thanks so much!
I want it,
the falafel I love.
I have also had these on my to-do list for a while! I love falafel in a wrap with hummus 🙂
I make Falafels regularly. My family loves them. I love them as the are quick to make, healthy, and chickpeas are a good way to help keep your sweet tooth in check.
Just discovered your blog and i am really impress by your skills; As a new member i will definitively follow you to learn to make good and elaborated receipe; you are my new inspiration; Keep up a good work;
http://www.lambassaa.blogspot.com
Great looking blog with fantastic pictures!
I love falafels, plus the falafel sauce is delicious. I had the same sauce in Jordan and they put chopped tomato in as well.
Love the site!
what kind of frying oil did you use and how much?
The Pontificator: Any oil will do such as olive oil, corn oil or vegetable oil. I fill a sauce pan to a depth of about two inches.
Love all these falafel recipes! The taboulleh one looks so gorgeous!
I've tried this before. If im not wrong it is similar to an indian or malay cuisiines. Love it!
skinforumulae.blogspot.com
I've always wanted to make Falafel; these looks so good!
Hi. I was searching for ice cream recipes as I have just bought an ice cream maker and found your blog. It is so lovely! The pictures just beg me to try the recipes. Thanks so much for creating it.
Marcie from http://www.noclothesnoshoes.blogspot.com
These were totally delicious! I substituted dried herbs- basil and parsley- for fresh (college budget) but otherwise kept it pretty much the same. Totally delish! Thanks for making it possible to eat one of my vegetarian favorites without forfeiting tuition $ for my town's fancy middle-eastern restaurant! <3
Does your mixture holds together well when you formed them into balls or patties? I made falafels once and the mixture did not hold together well and broke apart during frying.
I had a really tough time with this recipe. For whatever reason, my Falafel completely disintegrated into the oil leaving miniscule patties. Flavors were great, I just wish it would have held together.
Unknown & Anonymous: The flour is what is going to hold the patties together and you can keep adding flour a bit at a time until they do hold together. Just grab a handful of the mixture and try to form a patty, if it does not hold try mixing in a bit more flour until it does hold.
I added the recommended amount of flour and the patties did stick together…unfortunately once they hit the oil…disintegration.
Unknown: The amount of flour required is going to depend on the wetness of the other ingredients so you have to adjust a bit as you go.
Absolutely agree about varying amount of flour to keep balls intact, but make sure to squeeze them together in your palms gently to help them hold together. I also use a small ice cream scoop for portion control and speed forming balls.
I use up the frying oil doing every day things like stir frying and cooking eggs in the morning. You don't need to save oil just for deep frying. Thanks for sharing a great recipe!
Hi Kevin,
Love the food you're making and the beautiful pictures. My question is, Have you ever tried to bake the falafel? I love them but am trying to avoid fried foods.
Thanks!
Anonymous: I have not tried baked falafel yet but it is on my todo list as a lighter option. Maybe in the next few weeks as I want to try a fava bean version when they come in season.
I've tried many falafel recipes, but today I found yours on pinterest. I made it for lunch, and by golly, it works!! It seriously tastes so much like the falafel we eat when we're in Israel, and held together really nicely!! I actually found that keeping the balls cool in the fridge helped them to stay together even better. 🙂
Thanks for sharing this!!