John and I tried falafel years ago when we first came to Toronto, I think it was on John St., and we both absolutely hated it.
Fast forward 20 some years and I am experimenting with lunch items.
I found this recipe at Dinner With Julie who had adapted it herself.
Falafel
(adapted from Epicurious, where it was reprinted from The Foods of Israel Today)
1 19 oz. (540 mL) can chick peas, rinsed and drained
1 small onion, chopped
2-4 garlic cloves, peeled I added some garlic powder as well
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro I added more
1 tsp. cumin more to taste
Hot curry powder to taste
Lemon juice
1 Tbsp olive oil
Siracha to taste1/4 tsp. saltor
pinch dried chili flakes I used ground chili but would use a Thai red pepper next time
1/4 cup all-purpose or whole wheat flour (plus extra, if needed) I used chickpea flour to make it gluten free
1 tsp. baking powder
canola oil, for frying
Put the chick peas, onion, garlic, parsley, cilantro, cumin, hot curry powder, siracha, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic powder, salt and chili flakes in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until combined but not smooth. Add the flour and baking powder and pulse until you have a soft mixture that you can roll into balls or patties without sticking to your hands. Add another spoonful or so of flour, if you need to.
Roll the dough into meatball-sized balls, and if you like, flatten each into a little pattie. I like doing this for maximum surface area, which equals more crunch. (They also cook through more quickly as the distance between the middle to the exterior is shorter.)
In a shallow pot or skillet, heat about 1/2″ of canola oil until it’s hot but not smoking. Test it with a bit of falafel mixture or a scrap of bread or water– the oil should bubble up around it. Cook the falafel for a few minutes per side, without crowding the pan (which will cool down the oil), until they are golden. Transfer to paper towels. (You could get away with using just a skiff of oil – if you do this, best to leave the falafels round, so that you can roll them around in the pan to brown all sides.)
Serve in pitas or naan or gluten free focacia with tzatziki, chopped cucumber, purple onion and tomato.
Makes about 20 falafel balls or patties.
pinch dried chili flakes I used ground chili but would use a Thai red pepper next time
1/4 cup all-purpose or whole wheat flour (plus extra, if needed) I used chickpea flour to make it gluten free
1 tsp. baking powder
canola oil, for frying
Put the chick peas, onion, garlic, parsley, cilantro, cumin, hot curry powder, siracha, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic powder, salt and chili flakes in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until combined but not smooth. Add the flour and baking powder and pulse until you have a soft mixture that you can roll into balls or patties without sticking to your hands. Add another spoonful or so of flour, if you need to.
Roll the dough into meatball-sized balls, and if you like, flatten each into a little pattie. I like doing this for maximum surface area, which equals more crunch. (They also cook through more quickly as the distance between the middle to the exterior is shorter.)
In a shallow pot or skillet, heat about 1/2″ of canola oil until it’s hot but not smoking. Test it with a bit of falafel mixture or a scrap of bread or water– the oil should bubble up around it. Cook the falafel for a few minutes per side, without crowding the pan (which will cool down the oil), until they are golden. Transfer to paper towels. (You could get away with using just a skiff of oil – if you do this, best to leave the falafels round, so that you can roll them around in the pan to brown all sides.)
Serve in pitas or naan or gluten free focacia with tzatziki, chopped cucumber, purple onion and tomato.
Makes about 20 falafel balls or patties.
I've never had falafel.
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