Topic: Falafel

[Sverige]

Falafel, if you didn't already know, is a wildly popular Middle eastern snack food. A patty made with chopped up chickpeas, garlic, onion, coriander leaves and often parsley too, plus spices. I don't use parsley because I don't have any in. Like any curry head I do have a ready supply of coriander leaves and stalks, which do just fine.

Cheap, nutritious and damn tasty, it's no wonder most of the countries in the Middle East all like to claim credit for inventing it. If you have a deep fat fryer and a food processor you should get some dried whole chana and start making falafel.

DO NOT USE CANNED CHICKPEAS as they are precooked and have a habit of making falafel which fall apart when fried. You don't have to add flour or egg, these will bind and fry just fine without these spurious additions.

Ingredients, enough for 20 small falafel, (one serving)
75g dried chickpeas, soaked in 4 times their volume of water for 24 hours then drained and dried (150g weight post-soaking)
1 clove garlic
Quarter of a small onion
1/8 lvl tsp baking soda
1/4 lvl tsp ground cumin
1/4 lvl tsp ground coriander
1/4 lvl tsp salt
4 pinches of chopped coriander leaves or stalks. Four good four-fingered grabs
1/8 lvl tsp ground black pepper

Method:
Put chickpeas, garlic and onion into food processor with chopper blade in place and blitz well till reduced to small pieces, but not yet a paste. Add spices and soda plus coriander stalks or leaves and blitz again to mix.
Remove to a bowl and they say you should refrigerate for 30-60 mins at this point but I don't bother.

Form into small balls with wet hands, or get a falafel scoop off eBay or Amazon and shape into falafels.
Fry at 170C for 4 mins and drain on kitchen paper. They should be a fairly deep colour as a lot of the flavour comes from the caramelisation of the surface layer. It's probably not true caramelisation but you know what I mean.
Serve with hummus, tahini sauce, sweet chilli sauce or if you're a heathen like me, ketchup.

Recommended kit:
Falafel scoop
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00AMAPSXC/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_0XLuvb117Q72X
Mini food processor
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0000C6WPC/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_tYLuvb0M8K17X

[Madrasandy]

have you tried this recipe Gav? Your a falafal man I believe

[Curry addict bob]

I'm always looking for new ideas so yes I will give them ago.

[Curry addict bob]

Hi Sverige yes I've just made and eaten these and I must say this is a good recipe
I've enjoyed them cheers
regards Bob

[Sverige]

That's good to see Bob, nice when someone makes a recipe and has success with it. I think your pinches of coriander were more generous than mine as your falafel is greener

Did you have the falafel press already or have you managed to obtain one in just a couple of days?

[Curry addict bob]

Hello Sverige yes I've maybe put a little more coriander than you have and I have over cooked them Just a little but not bad for my 1st time
Yes a purchased the mould from eBay in the last few days it works
Really well! I will post a video of my efforts in a few days.

[Curry addict bob]

Chickpea Falafel , recipe kindly posted by Sverige
http://youtu.be/YHnetrhxZ0c

[Sverige]

Good video Bob. I like your production style, very clear and easy to follow. Have you tried maki a tahini sauce to go with your falafel..? Here's one example:

http://youtu.be/_a43zC2HzQM

[Curry addict bob]

Good video Bob. I like your production style, very clear and easy to follow. Have you tried maki a tahini sauce to go with your falafel..? Here's one example:

http://youtu.be/_a43zC2HzQM

Many thanks Sverige I will make some of this
Bob.

[bhuna1]

These were very nice, better than previous attempts.  Dunno, how you managed to get 20 out of it though.  I got 9 at a push and they were small.