Falafel

I must confess that I recently discovered that I’ve been making my falafel wrong. Although the outcome was still delicious, it wasn’t as good as this one

Though it takes a bit of effort to make falafel at home, with a little planning, it’s no big deal. Since you can make extra batches and freeze them for quick lunches or dinners, it’s definitely worthwhile to make this yourself.

I must confess that I recently discovered that I’ve been making my falafel wrong. Although the outcome was still delicious, it wasn’t as good as this one. Learn from my mistake and always read the WHOLE recipe before you start, and READ EVERY STEP CAREFULLY. That way, you’ll save time and make fewer mistakes.

Makes about 24

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp gram flour/chickpea flour
• 200g dried chickpea, soaked overnight
• 2 handfuls fresh coriander leaves
• 1 large garlic cloves, crushed
• 1/4 cup roughly chopped red onion
• 2 heap tbsp cumin powder
• 2 heap tbsp zaa’tar
• 2 tbsp flaky salt
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper 
• Juice of half a lemon
• 2-5 tbsp water
• Oil for deep frying

Recipe Preparation

Process all ingredients in a food processor until coarsely ground. If the mixture looks too dry, add a tbsp water at a time to loosen the mixture. Damp your hands and take out about a heap tbsp of mixture in your hands and press the mixture together until you formed a falafel ball. Place balls on a clean plate. Refrigerate for 30 minutes prior to deep fry. 
 
When you are ready to fry the falafel, remove it from the fridge.
 
Heat about 2 cm of oil into a small saucepan on medium-high heat, it should take approximately 3-5 minutes for the temperature to reach 160℃). Drop a small chunk of the falafel mixture into the oil. If it starts sizzling instantly, the oil is ready.
 
Cook falafels in batch, about 3-4 pieces each time, for 2 minutes, turn falafels halfway, until golden. If you are unsure of the temperature, use a thermometer to check. After you have made a few batches, you will learn how to get the best results with your particular stove and pan. You might need to reduce the heat if you make the whole batch in one cooking.
 
Meanwhile, line a cooling rack and a baking tray that lined with double kitchen paper and for the cooked falafels. Serve warm with tzatziki (go to Tzatziki recipe HERE), salad, and pita bread (go to Pita bread recipe HERE).