Ingredients
- 2 cups dried chickpeas, picked through and rinsed
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 small onion, coarsely chopped
- 6 garlic cloves, smashed
- 1 tablespoon cumin seeds, toasted and ground
- 1 tablespoon coriander seeds, toasted and ground
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 handfuls fresh flat-leaf parsley, leaves coarsely chopped
- 1 handful fresh cilantro, leaves coarsely chopped
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Vegetable oil, for frying
- 8 warm pita bread, store bought or homemade recipe follows
- Tahini Sauce, recipe follows
- Shredded lettuce, sliced tomatoes, chopped cucumbers
Directions
Put the dried chickpeas in a large bowl and add cool water to cover by 2 inches. Soak the beans in the refrigerator for at least 18 hours or up to 24; the chickpeas will swell to triple their original size. Drain and rinse thoroughly.
Put the soaked chickpeas in a food processor and pulse to coarsely grind, not until smooth but with no whole chickpeas remaining either. Add the baking powder, onion, garlic, spices, and herbs; process until the mixture is pureed; scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate while heating the oil, this should take about 15 minutes.
Pour 3-inches of the oil in a deep fryer or deep heavy pot and heat to 375 degrees F.
Roll the falafel mixture into ping-pong size balls. (Alternatively, use an ice cream scoop.) Carefully slip a few at a time into the hot oil, making sure they don't stick to the bottom. Fry until the chickpea fritters are a crusty dark brown on all sides, turning as needed, about 5 minutes per batch. Remove the falafels with a slotted spoon and drain on a platter lined with paper towels.
Open the pita bread halves to make pockets (don't split all the way) and put 4 fried falafels into each. Drizzle with the tahini sauce and layer with lettuce, tomatoes, and cucumbers. Serve immediately.
Tahini Sauce:
1/2 cup tahini (sesame seed paste)
1/2 cup plain yogurt or water
1 lemon, juiced
2 garlic cloves, chopped
Pinch salt
Pinch paprika
Combine all the ingredients in a blender, process on high speed to make a smooth and creamy sauce. Adjust seasoning, to taste, and serve with falafels or as a salad dressing.
Yield: about 1 cup
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By tste-tstd in SoCal
on September 28, 2011
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I have another trusted recipe I was intent on using but since I didn't have the Bulgar Wheat it calls for, I went searching the network for an alternative. From now on this recipe will be my go to recipe for Falafel's. VERY TASTY! Although I left out the onion by mistake, the spices and herbs blend nicely and don't over power one another. I was craving these today so disregarded the insistence of using dried beans but did keep in mind problems some of the other's had with the mixture not binding so, along with the 2-15oz cans of garbanzos I used instead, I added 1 egg and 1/4c of plain bread crumbs and had no anticipated problems whatsoever. Maybe next time I'll take my time and try using the dried beans since the homemade pita bread I made to go with the Falafel requires a 12 hour refrigeration (that I overlooked and ultimately skipped. With that said, the only disappointment with tonight's dinner NO SECONDS only three of the six pita's puffed to perfection.
By owltranslator
on September 11, 2011
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This recipe was excellent except that I had to add a good 3 heaping spoonfulls of flour to get the mixture to a workable consistency. This was after i let the mixture chill as well.
By wgazfan
on September 07, 2011
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I had great success with this recipe. I followed it to a "T" and it all worked out well. I did not have a problem with the falafel falling apart - I think the freezing helped with that! My only complaint, and I can't believe I am going to say it...it was way too garlicky! The flavor was overwhelming and it took away from the flavor of the falafel itself.I would cut the amount of garlic by half.
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