Falafel
Falafel is one of my absolute favorite street foods, but I am not the biggest fan of deep-frying food at home. This recipe uses the oven to make the perfect falafel. These falafel aren’t as greasy as the deep-fried version, so you can eat them anytime. Pop them into a pita with veggies to make a great and nutritious meal, or freeze them and cook up a few for a healthy and satisfying snack. They are vegan, low-fat, gluten-free optional, and completely scrumptious
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Soak Time: 8-12 hours
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Yield: 12-14 falafel
Ingredients:
175g or about 1 cup of dried chickpeas
1/2 of a good-sized onion
3-5 cloves of garlic, depending on the size of the cloves
60g fresh parsley (about 1/2 cup)
60g fresh cilantro (about 1/2 cup)
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 rounded tbsp all-purpose flour*
1 tsp cumin
3/4 tsp coriander
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt or to taste
Directions
Put chickpeas in a bowl and cover them with 2 inches of water.
Leave chickpeas to soak overnight.
The next morning, roughly chop the onion, parsley, and cilantro.
Add soaked chickpeas, chopped onion, parsley, cilantro, garlic, spices, lemon juice, flour, salt, and baking soda to the bowl of a food processor and pulse until everything has been processed into a coarse paste.
Preheat the oven to 425°F or 220°C.
Shape the falafel batter into either balls or patties.*
Place shaped falafel on a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes and then broil for 5-8 minutes or until they are nicely golden brown on top.*
Serve falafel with tahini sauce, tzatziki, or a spiced yogurt sauce.
Enjoy!
Additional Notes:
*Swap the all-purpose flour for gluten-free flour to make the falafel gluten-free!
*These falafel freeze beautifully. If you do not want to bake all the falafel immediately, you can shape the falafel batter into either balls or patties and place them on a plate or baking sheet, and put them in the freezer for an hour. Then, once they are mostly frozen, place them in a ziplock bag or a freezer-safe container. When you want to prepare them simply take them out of the freezer and bake them. They keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.
*The falafel can also be made in an air fryer or deep fried.
*You can easily scale this recipe up to fit your needs.
