Falafel is traditionally prepared in Lebanon. Falafel is a very popular food all over the world.
For me it’s a way to substitute meat with legumes.
I searched for recipes online and this one came up originally.
I cooked some Falafels in the oven and some of them I fried with a drizzle of oil.
In both cases the taste was good, with the oil the falafels were more crunchy.
Ingredients:
- Dry chickpeas, fava beans. How much chickpeas / beans ratio? half half ratio is best.
- 1 small onion
- Fresh herbs: Parsley and cilantro in equal parts, or Parsley could be more abundant.
- Garlic, the garlic is not mandatory, but one garlic helps add flavor
- Flour
- Raising agent: Bicarbonate of soda, or baking soda.
Soak the chickpeas and fava beans in separate large bowls the night before, and add a teaspoon of bicarbonate and mix well.
In a food processor, pulse the chickpeas and fava beans in batches (Bech) until you have a medium coarse texture.(robot da cucina-frullare-quantità)
In the food processor, add the onion, garlic, cilantro, and parsley and blitz.
Add the chickpeas and fava beans and blend well.
Add the spices, salt, another teaspoon of baking soda, and just enough olive oil, if necessary to bind the mixture. Your falafel mix should not be too dry or wet.
Refrigerate the dough for at least an hour before cooking.
Shape your falafel into golf sized balls.
Press them lightly into a plate of sesame seeds, then fry until golden for about seven minutes. (in the photo you don’t see the sesame seeds, I forgot to use them).
I cooked in two modes, fried and in the oven, to taste them.
Baked falafel, they won’t have the same, crunchy texture.
Normally I avoid eating fried food, because I don’t digest it, but food fried in a little olive oil is lighter.
Falafel relies on fresh herbs for that nice green color.
Using twice the amount of parsley as cilantro is the best ratio.
The Raising agent is responsible for the puffy shape of Falafel.
Using a falafel scoop, (I didn’t use it because I didn’t have it) simply roll them into balls and dip them in sesame seeds just before frying.
Enjoy with some sauce mixed with lemon and salt and a few pickles and fresh vegetables, and wrap in soft fresh flatbreads.
You can freeze any extra falafel mixture for frying later.
Don to use canned chickpeas as fava beans as the mixture will be too wet.
I really liked the yogurt dip to go with the falafel.
It is prepared by mixing:
- 250 g of Greek yogurt
- 20 g of lemon juice
- extra virgin olive oil
- 1 clove of garlic
- little paprika
- salt and pepper.
Now that you’ve read my post what do you recommend.
My question is: cooked or raw chickpeas and fava beans?
What’s the best way to make Falafel?
These days I read another recipe and the recipe suggests cooking the chickpeas first.
In an old book I read they use only cooked chickpeas.
I don’t know what to do.
My big doubt is that I don’t think full cooking of legume is achieved when falafel is fried or baked in the oven. But if someone reassures me that is the tradition I will follow it.
Mi hai fatto venire voglia di rifarli 
quindi continuerò a mangiarlo cotto che è delizioso 
e sei più giovane dei trentenni che mi circondano ogni giorno!! Garantito! 
