Falafel - The Middle Eastern Fritter

Falafel – a deep fried, Middle Eastern fritter, made of chickpeas and some herbs and spices. Crispy outside, softer inside, full of flavors and deep fried! Whats not to like it, taste wise? Yes, you must sometimes forget about the amount of oil needed for deep frying if you want to enjoy some of the great foods. It is OK occasionally!

I was almost dreaming of these Falafels, till I finally decided to make them. So planned it along with the Hummus, so that the chickpeas can be cooked together. And the hummus does make a good dip for the falafel as well. Though these can be had by themselves as well.

Well, it is almost like our pakoras, vadas and bondas – all these look like cousins to me. With some variations in main ingredients, and the method of preparation. Of course each region uses the herbs, spices and other ingredients easily available in that region and that makes the difference.

So here's the recipe. BTW, the fat-stingy me tried to bake these as well, and also shallow fried a batch. But honestly, I was not very happy with the results. So I'd suggest you to make it occasionally, but please do deep fry them. Indulging occasionally is alright!

Falafel

Preparation time: 20 min

Cooking time: ~30 min + 20 min

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

Dried chickpeas or garbanzo beans - 1 cup

Onion - 1 large, chopped

Garlic - 2 cloves, chopped

Fresh parsley - 3 Tbsp, chopped

Coriander - 2 Tbsp, chopped

Cumin - 1 tsp

Chickpea flour / Besan - 2 Tbsp

Salt to taste

Green chilies - 2-3, optional - only if you need an extra heat

Pepper to taste

Oil for deep frying

Method:

• Soak dried chickpeas in cold water overnight. Omit this step if using canned beans. 
• Drain chickpeas, and cook in fresh water in a pressure cooker till cooked soft
• Drain and allow to cool for 15 minutes 
• Combine cooked chickpeas, garlic, onion, coriander, cumin, salt and pepper (to taste) in medium bowl.
• Mash chickpeas, ensuring to mix ingredients together. You can also combine ingredients in a food processor. You want the result to be a thick paste. 
• Add flour to make the consistency that of a thick dough
• Form the mixture into small balls, about the size of ping pong ball and slightly flatten.
• Deep fry in oil until golden brown on medium heat.
• Serve hot with hummus or tahini as appetizer
• As a main course, stuff pita bread with falafel, lettuce, tomatoes, tahini, salt and pepper, and serve

Notes:

• Do not add water when mashing or grinding
• If the dough seems very loose increase the quantity of besan