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😋 Falafels: the classic of Middle Eastern cuisine
In Lebanon, Egypt, Israel, Syria, Palestine, Turkey, Jordan, Iran and Iraq: falafels are everywhere in the Middle East. Super-simple to make, these little chickpea and herb dumplings are ideal for an aperitif: small, convenient to transport and absolutely divine!
💙 Why you'll love this recipe
- It takes you on a journey
- It has manydifferent uses: aperitifs, starters and main courses.
- She's vegan
🧄 Which garlic to choose?
If you want to choose your garlic carefully so you do not encourage the slavery of Chinese prisoners, read my Eco Tips on the subject.
🤔 Tips for making the best falafels
- To make real falafel, don't use pre-cooked chickpeas. Take raw ones: ideally, immerse them in water (three times their weight) and leave them overnight or even 24 hours.
- Add a little bicarbonate of soda to the water in which they are going to soak, to soften their shells and make them easier to digest.
- Make sureyour frying oil is hot (around 180°C) before putting in your falafels. You can use a kitchen thermometer, as I do, or drop a drop of water into the pan. If it sizzles, you can use it now.
- Take care, too, that the frying oil is not too hot: if it is, your oil will first darken before turning black. And then your falafels (and the fried food) risk burning too, and will be fried on the outside but raw on the inside.
- Don't put too many falafels into the pan at once, as this may cause the frying oil temperature to drop too much. Put one in a small saucepan, two in a medium-sized one and a maximum of three in a very large one.
💡 Frequently Asked Questions :
Falafels can be stored in an airtight tin in the fridge for around 2 days. To reheat, just pop them in the oven at low temperature and you're ready to go!
Yes, you can freeze your raw falafel balls. They'll keep for about 6 months. Or you can freeze them cooked, in which case they'll keep for about three months.
To defrost them, just pop them in the oven.
Yes, you can, for example, make this falafel burger, which is a real delish!
If your oil hasn't turned black, you can wait for it to cool down, then put it back in its bottle and use it again and again.
Otherwise: don't pour your frying oil down the drain, or it will clog it up. The best thing to do is to put it back in the bottle once it's cooled down (very important, otherwise it'll have holes in it and your funnel will melt, as was the case with me the first time), then take it to a waste disposal site with hazardous waste or special household waste. And if that's impossible, at least put it in the non-recyclable waste garbage can.
If you make these falafels, it would be so nice to leave me a comment and rate the recipe ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. You can also tag me on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook or Tik Tok, or even send me a photo, I love seeing my little dishes in your homes!
📖 Recette
Best falafels
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups dried chickpeas or 2 cups rehydrated chickpeas
- 3 cups water for rehydrating chickpeas
- 1 small teaspoon baking soda
- ½ parsley
- ½ mint
- 2 tablespoons ground cumin
- Cilantro
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 small onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- Salt to taste
- Pepper to taste
- ½ lemon
- Frying oil
Instructions
- Put the chickpeas in a bowl and add the water and baking soda, then leave overnight (or even better, for 24 hours) at room temperature.
- Rinse the chickpeas well, drain and dry well in a clean cloth.
- Add the chopped herbs, spices, coarsely chopped garlic and onion, salt, pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice.
- Blend in a food processor to obtain a more or less homogenous, but not too smooth, purée (it shouldn't be hummus - it's normal if there are still bits left).
- Use a cookie scoop, a soup spoon or your hands to form rounds.
- Heat the frying oil (approx. 335°F/170°C) and place two or three falafels on top: don't put too much on top, or the oil temperature will drop. Cook for a few minutes until golden-brown, turning occasionally.
- Place on paper towels and serve hot with Greek yoghurt!
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a commission if you purchase through my links, at no extra cost to you. Please read full disclosure for more information.
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