Go Back

Falafel

Print Recipe

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup dry chickpeas, rinsed, and soaked in water overnight See #1 below
  • 1/2 cup chopped onion See #2 below
  • 1 cup chopped parsley arguably optional
  • 1 cup chopped cilantro optional
  • 1 small green chili pepper (jalapeno or serrano) See #3 below
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp cardamom sub 1/4 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 2 tbsp chickpea flour almost any flour will work
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • Frying oil

Instructions
 

  • Drain and rinse the chickpeas.
  • Put everything other than the flour and baking soda in a food processor.
  • Pulse until the mixture has the texture of coarse sand.
  • Transfer to a large bowl, and stir in the remaining ingredients.
  • Cover and chill for 30-60 minutes.
  • Roll 2 tbsp into 1"-1.5" balls with your hands, or an ice cream scoop. Make 2" wide x 1/2" thick patties if pan frying or baking.
  • If the mixture is too dry and crumbly, add a teaspoon of water or lemon juice.
  • Fry in 350F oil until golden brown (approx 1-2 mins), or bake on an oiled sheet at 375F until golden brown (approx 25-30 mins), flipping halfway through.

Notes

  1. Do NOT use canned chickpeas - cooking releases the stickiness from the starches and we need this to hold the falafels together. Chickpeas will expand to about 3x their size, so make sure to soak in a bowl large enough. Soak at room temp, not in the refrigerator - that takes 24 hours. 
  2. Any onion will work, traditional is red.
  3. 1/2 tsp hot sauce or chili flakes