Falafel is crispy deep – fried chickpea fritters. It is a very famous Middle East dish that it is ‘mandatory’ in every Arab restaurants. The basic ingredient chickpea / chana is combined with herbs and spices to get this delicious fritters. Uncooked chickpea is used for the recipe . (cooked or canned chickpea is not preferred)
It can be served with hummus , tahini sauce or yoghurt sauce . We can even make pita sandwiches using falafel , hummus or tahini sauce , along with some veggie salad. This tastes delicious too!!
Makes – 20 -24 Falafel
Ingredients :
- Chick peas – 1 cup
- onion – 1 medium
- coriander leaves – 1 cup
- garlic cloves – 2-3
- green chilly – 1-2
- cumin powder – 1 teaspoon
- garam masala powder – 1 teaspoon
- pepper powder – 1/2 teaspoon (optional)
- besan powder / gram flour – 3 tablespoon
- baking soda – 1/2 teaspoon
- lime juice – 1 tablespoon
- salt – as needed
- parsley leaves – 1 cup (optional)
- oil – for deep frying
Method :
Pre-preparation :-
- soak chana /chick peas over night (or atleast for 4-5 hours) . Wash and drain them. Dry it very well.
- Roughly chop onion , coriander leaves , parsley leaves(optional) , green chilly , garlic
To make falafel balls :-
- Take a mixing bowl. Add dried chana / chick pea to it. Add onions, coriander leaves , garlic, green chilly, parsley leaves (optional ), cumin powder, garam masala powder, pepper powder (optional ), besan powder, baking soda, lime juice and salt. Give it a quick mix.
- Transfer the entire ingredient mixture to a chopper (can use blender too, if you do not have a chopper). Pulse it to a sand like texture .
- Roll it into balls of desired size. Refrigerate it for about 1-2 hours (Though it is optional to refrigerate, it helps in imparting the flavor well)
To fry the falafel :-
- Heat oil in a kadai . Deep fry the balls in medium heat until it turns brown (for about 4-5 minutes).
Delicious Falafel is ready ! serve it with tahini sauce and enjoy !
You may also like these Middle Eastern recipes-
Check out the video of Falafel –
B2D Plate 