Ever wanted to try falafel? Here's a recipe for making it at home.
April is Arab American Heritage Month and we wanted to feature one of our favorite dishes from the Arab world – falafel.
Falafel is wonderful street food. In the markets of the Eastern Mediterranean, the little crunchy rounds of goodness are formed with special brass scoops, fried, and presented in pocket breads stuffed with vegetables, tahini or yogurt sauce and, often, a few French fries stowed away in the very bottom. Falafel feel decadent but are actually good for you.
Falafel happen to be vegan, but a are hearty and savory enough that meat eaters love it too. It can be eaten as an entrée, on top of a salad, in a wrap or tucked into a pita as a sandwich.
Falafel is nutritious. Made with a base of soaked, dried chick peas, it contains plenty of plant-based protein and fiber. You may deep fry falafel, but feel free to pan fry it in olive oil for a healthier alternative. If you don't like cilantro, just double the parsley called for in the recipe.
You don't need any special equipment or unusual ingredients to make falafel, but do make the effort to soak dried chick peas – canned chick peas are cooked and won’t give the same results at all. Here’s the recipe.
Recipe for making falafel
Serves 8-10
INGREDIENTS
1 cup dried chickpeas, soaked overnight (don't use canned chickpeas)
? cup chopped scallion
1 cup chopped fresh parsley, leaves only
1 cup chopped cilantro, stems and leaves
1 tablespoon garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon salt
? teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
? teaspoon baking soda
oil for frying
To serve - pita bread, lettuce, tomato, tahini sauce (recipe below)
DIRECTIONS
1. The night before serving, place the chick peas in a bowl of cool water to cover by at least three inches. When ready to cook, drain and rinse the chick peas and place them in a food processor with the scallion, parsley, cilantro, garlic, cumin, coriander, salt, and black pepper. Pulse to grind together to a homogenous but still grainy paste.
2. Pulse in the flour and baking soda. When incorporated, scrape into a bowl, cover tightly and refrigerate the mixture for one hour.
3. Heat deep frying oil to 350 Degrees or have a wide skillet with oil for pan frying ready to go. Using a tablespoon as a measure, scoop out tablespoons of the mixture and form into balls or thick patties, trying to touch the mixture as lightly as possible, as the baking soda will already be working, causing it to become fluffy.
4. Fry the falafel in small batches that don’t crowd your fryer or skillet for 1 to 2 minutes per side or until golden. Drain on paper towels.
5. Serve as part of an entrée plate with rice or inside a pita bread with tomatoes, lettuce and tahini sauce.
Tahini Sauce
Makes 3/4 cup
INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup tahini, well stirred if separated
1/4 cup cold water
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice and zest of the lemon
Salt to taste
DIRECTIONS
Place tahini in a bowl and slowly whisk in water. Add lemon juice and zest and salt to taste. Thin with more water if desired.
This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Recipe for falafel and tahini sauce
