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This is one of those recipes I have wanted to make for a long time. Â My son lived Tel Aviv two summers ago and this was one his favorite Israeli dishes. Â He tried to make it for me once, so this was my chance to give it a try. Â The real challengein making falafel is getting the right consistency between the ingredients and the flour. Â You do not want to much flour, but you need enough to make the ingredients bind together. Â The other nuance I learned was getting the right oil temperature. Â Since these cook for 2 – 3 minutes per side, you need hot oil but not too hot. Â As a total aside, if you leave out the flour, you can serve it on pita with chicken, Â and it will still great, authentic flavor from all the good spices and herbs in the falafel mixture.
INGREDIENTS (adapted from The Shiksa in the Kitchen):
- 2 Cans Garbanzo beans
- 1Â small onion, roughly chopped
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1 1/2 heaping tbsp  minced garlic (already prepared)
- 1 1/2 tbsp flour (add more if the balls do not form when rolled)
- 1 3/4 tsp salt
- 2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/4 tsp of ground cardamom
- Peanut oil for frying
Directions:
In a food processor, combine all the above ingredients.
Pulse until well combined. Â Do not over mix. Â You want to pulse until just combined.
Set aside and not heat your skillet on medium high heat. Â Add the oil until shimmering. Â Use a small ice cream scoop and scoop out a ball of the falafel mix and pour into the oil. Â The ball should fix when you drop it in the oil. Â If the ball gets dark quickly, your oil is to hot. Â If the ball falls apart when you drop it in the oil, the oil is either not hot enough or you need more flour in your falafel mix. Â Cook each ball 2 – 3 minutes per side. Â Do not overcrowd the skillet. Â Cook all the balls until you have used up the mixture.
Serve and enjoy!
I can’t believe I still haven’t tried falafel when I love chickpeas. Yours look so tasty, and I’m definitely more tempted than ever to try them.
Colleen, you have to try them. It is not hard to make and I am sure you will put a really creative spin on the dish.
I love falafel but have never tried to make. There aren’t many recipes out there and most of them require a fryer. Thanks for not using a fryer because I can actually try to make these. These look so yummy. 🙂
Like Lori, Falafel is also on my bucket list. Maybe they just moved up a couple numbers on that list after seeing how great your recipe turned out. Btw, I ended drawing some inspiration from your corn fritter and Pimento Cheese dish and created a burger. http://www.theburgernerd.com/sausage-pimento-cheese-burger-recipe/ Was the first time I ever made Pimento Cheese and probably wouldn’t have thought of it, had I not seen your recipe. Cheers and thanks for the inspiration! 🙂
Trevor, as I wrote in my post, my son was my inspiration to try falafel’s too. I love inspiring and being inspired by others. On my way to check out your Pimento Burger with sausage – oh my!
These look great, Peter! Falafel is on my kitchen bucket list, too. I’m not normally that great at frying things, but you’ve made it look easy!
Lori, I try not to fry to many foods. This is lightly fried and it really is not that hard to do. Give it a try. You will not be disappointed.
Great job Pete! I always enjoy reading your recipes. Hope you’re doing well and have a great Thanksgiving!
Happy Blogging!
Happy Valley Chow
Hi Peter, are you the owner of the Board “Blogger Recipes” on Pinterest. If so I’d love the opportunity to pin. Can I get an invite? I have followed the board.
http://www.pinterest.com/lannisam/boards/
Have a great Holiday.